Super Mario Bros: The Novelized Comic
by Stardown
Summary: Ever wonder what a long-running Mario comic similar to the Archie or IDW Sonic comics would be like? This fanfic will give you insight on this idea. Join Mario and friends as they band together and go on adventures, battling enemies both old and new. Rated K Plus to be safe.
1. SMB Issue 1 (Nov 1989)

**A/N:** This is a unique fanfic that explores the possibilities of a long-running comic book series based on the Super Mario Bros. video game franchise. I have selected November 1989 as the month of the first issue's release.

Similar to how Archie Comics' Sonic the Hedgehog was founded on AoStH and SatAM, this fanfic is founded on TSMBSS. There will be a few, but not too many, OCs and other custom elements in this fanfic.

There will be an Ask The Mario Characters section at the end of each chapter to make up for the lack of fan mail, fan art, and Off-Panels. Rules are stated there.

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Super Mario Bros. or any element in this fan fiction aside from any original content that I create. This fan fiction is not affiliated with or endorsed by Nintendo._

Without further ado, let us begin...

* * *

 **The Return of Robo Koopa**

* * *

 _"Plumber's Log, Number 1.5. We are on our way back from a shopping trip at the Mushroom Land Shopping Center. Little did we know that an all-too-familiar alter-ego of King Koopa would return…"_

"Wow, I didn't know we'd find mushrooms for that low a price!" exclaimed Luigi.

"You never know what you'll find when you keep an eye open for good bargains," replied Mario.

"You should see the princess when she goes shopping," Toad piped up. "Sure, she may take a while sometimes, but she gets a lot of great stuff for even greater prices!"

"Speaking of the princess," reminded Luigi, "didn't she invite us over to her house for a party tonight?"

"You're right," Mario said. "We'd best head on home and get ready; we don't want to be late."

The three turned down the road and headed for their house to prepare for Princess Toadstool's party.

* * *

Meanwhile, on a hill overlooking the village, Mario's arch-enemy King Koopa was spying on the princess' house through a pair of binoculars.

"Perfect! She's alone!" he exclaimed. "Now I can put my latest plan into action! Koopas, do you have my Robo Suit?"

"Right here, your Koop-ness!" answered one of King Koopa's Koopa Troopas, who was standing next to what looked like a new-and-improved Robo Suit.

"Soon, Mushroom Land's princess will be in my hands! And better yet, those pesky plumbers aren't here to stop me! This will be the greatest princess kidnapping in Mushroom Land history!"

* * *

Mario knocked on the princess' door and called:

"It's-a me, Mario!"

The door was opened to reveal Princess Toadstool, who smiled when she saw them.

"Mario! Luigi! Toad! I'm glad you could make it to my party. Come on in!"

"I can almost smell the pasta and the cake!" exclaimed Luigi as he and his older brother stepped through the doorway and hung their caps on the hat rack.

"That's because you can, Luigi," Toad pointed out.

"Oh. Right," Luigi nervously chuckled. "I knew that."

"I'll just need a few more minutes, then everything will be ready." the princess said as she headed into the kitchen.

"As long as Koopa doesn't come," said Mario, "this party will be perfect."

* * *

"What's taking you blockheads so long?" fumed King Koopa as his minions were making upgrades to his Robo Suit.

"Sorry, boss," said a Koopa, "but some of these adjustments are taking longer than expected. Maybe we should hire a mechanic."

"There's no time for that!" shouted the Koopa king as he peered through his binoculars. "Just as I thought! When the princess hosts a party, those Mario Brothers are bound to show up. I can still get four for the price of one!" he laughed evilly.

* * *

"I must say, Princess, you really overdid yourself on this cake."

"Nonsense, Mario, I always want my cakes to look and taste the best."

"And they do, Princess."

"What are we celebrating, Princess?" asked Toad.

"We are celebrating the anniversary of when the Mario Brothers first rescued me from King Koopa."

"It's too bad I couldn't help out," sighed Toad. "In captivity, all I knew was that you were in another castle."

Luigi was distracted by something outside the window. It wasn't a something. No, it was a some _one_. And it was getting closer. Luigi's eyes widened when he recognized the figure.

"Looks like we have an uninvited guest!" Luigi warned everyone.

Everyone ducked just in time as King Koopa crashed through the princess' window, sending glass everywhere. Fortunately, the glass didn't hit anyone.

"Do you have room for one more guest, Princess?" he guffawed, turning his Robo Suit to face the gang.

"King Koopa!" challenged Mario.

"How... How did you get your Robo Suit back?" questioned Toad.

"I thought it was converted into a pizza oven," wondered Princess Toadstool.

"It was, Princess. But I ordered another one from Dr. Nerdnick. He made it surprisingly easy to get, through a little method known as encouragement.

"However, in addition to my enhanced Super Strength, Super Vision, Super Hearing, and Super Toes, I now have… Super Speed!"

He suddenly lunged forward and grabbed the princess with one of his Robo Suit's large hands.

"Help me!" cried Princess Toadstool.

"Let her go, Koopa!" demanded Mario as he and his friends closed in.

"What makes you think I will?" crowed King Koopa as he reached down for his chest buttons. Pressing one, he pointed at the heroes. They were instantly trapped in force fields.

"This will be one kidnapping that you _won't_ interfere with! I hope you don't get bored in there… Hahahahaha!" With that, he activated his jetpack and crashed through the roof. The heroes could only watch through the broken window as King Koopa became a speck in the distance.

"King Koopa is going to pay for kidnapping the princess," said Mario.

"And for the roof," added Luigi.

"Hey, look on the bright side," said Toad. "At least there's no glass in the food."

* * *

As they flew, the Koopa king pressed another chest button, and he tore through the sky at nearly record-breaking speeds.

"Can't you slow down, you Koopa creep? You know this is bad for my hair!"

"You'll have plenty of time to do your hair once you're in my prison!"

Escape was hopeless. They were flying at nearly two hundred miles per hour, and if Princess Toadstool managed to slip out of his grasp now, she could get hurt... or worse. Then she saw her opportunity. One of her hands was free, and King Koopa's chest buttons were right in front of her.

"Say, King Koopa, I've always been interested in your Robo Suits. What does _this_ button do?"

"No! Not that one!"

But it was too late. Princess Toadstool pressed the button that caused King Koopa's Robo Suit to eject him. But now she was in an even bigger predicament. The only thing worse than being captured by King Koopa is in a Robo Suit is removing King Koopa from the equation. She was falling with an abandoned Robo Suit.

"Now or never..." breathed the princess as she slipped from the suit's grasp.

Now she was free-falling. Fortunately King Koopa had landed below her. As he was getting up, Toadstool landing on him, thus breaking her fall, and sending him sprawling on the ground. The Robo Suit tumbled down a steep embankment and into a clump of bushes. Immediately the princess got up and took off running. King Koopa sat up, dazed.

"Koopa Pack, attack!" he shouted, but there was no response. His camp was too far away.

"With my Robo Suit out of commission, those pesky wannabe heroes will have been freed from the force fields!" King Koopa said, kicking a stone in frustration. "I guess all's rotten that ends rotten. Back to the Kooping board!"

* * *

Home never looked so inviting. Sure, Toadstool had been kidnapped before, but still. When she opened the door, she was astonished to see that her friends were no longer trapped in force fields.

"Princess! You're safe!" Mario exclaimed.

"But how did your force fields disappear?" the princess wondered.

"I think you did something to King Koopa's Robo Suit that caused it to release us. He should know by now to never play with dangerous toys!" At that, everyone laughed.

* * *

 **Car Land Caper**

* * *

 _"Plumber's Log, Number 65. It's a lazy day... so far. But the local newspaper would soon present to us our next adventure…"_

It was a hot day in Mushroom Land. Mario, Luigi, and Toadstool were reclining in their seats in Mario's house. They didn't feel like doing anything.

"King Koopa hasn't attacked us in a few days," said Luigi.

Princess Toadstool yawned. "That must mean he's up to something."

"Guys! You'll want to take a look at this!" Toad exclaimed as he brought in the morning paper.

"What happened?" asked the princess.

"A new rocket fuel has been invented in Car Land. They say one container of it can carry a rocket to the moon and back twice!"

"Interesting," the princess noted. "I'll have to visit and check it out."

"Think of how much it could benefit the world," said Luigi.

"If there's one person who's more interested in this rocket fuel than you, princess," warned Mario, "it's Koopa."

* * *

Sure enough, King Koopa was also reading the paper.

"A new rocket fuel in Car Land? Enough to get a rocket to the moon and back twice? I'm going to use it to power my weapons! You two!" he pointed to two Hammer Bros. "Barricade those goody-goody plumbers and their friends in their house! This will be one evil scheme that they _won't_ interfere in!"

"Uh, boss?" one of the Hammer Bros. said. "You just said something like that in the previous story."

"Don't break the fourth wall, you Koopa klutz!" Koopa shouted at him. "Think of how much our ratings will drop if we keep mentioning our reader or the issues we appear in!" He paused as the Hammer Bros. looked at him awkwardly. "Forget I just said all that."

"Yes, boss."

"Now get moving, both of you!"

* * *

"Where are you going, boys?" Princess Toadstool asked as the heroic plumbers headed out to their car.

"We're headed to Car Land to make sure King Koopa doesn't get the rocket fuel," Mario replied.

"That's a good idea," said the princess. "Just be careful out there."

"We will," reassured Mario as they got in the car and drove away.

When the plumbers were out of sight, Toad turned to Princess Toadstool.

"So princess, what should we do while Mario and Luigi are away?"

The princess sees something out of the corner of her eye that gives her reason to panic.

"I say we'd better prepare for a kidnapping!" she exclaimed.

"Oh, not quite a kidnapping," said one of the two Hammer Bros. who had just showed up. "Just a little house arrest, that's all. Now get inside."

"This is almost as bad as a kidnapping," mumbled Toad as they were herded into their own home.

"Wait, where are the plumbers?" the other Hammer Bro. asked.

"Uh, you just missed them," replied Princess Toadstool.

"It's just as well," said the first Hammer Bro. "King Koopa will get them anyway."

* * *

"Pleasant drive so far, eh Luigi?" said Mario as he and Luigi were driving to Car Land.

"Yeah," agreed Luigi. "We haven't been here since King Koopa tried to steal all of its spaghetti sauce."

"Hopefully he hasn't heard about the rocket fuel, but I'm sure he has," said Mario.

"So far we haven't run into him," replied Luigi. "I hope it stays that way."

"Outta my way, roadhogs!" shouted an all-too-familiar voice as King Koopa roared past them on his Koopcycle. "That rocket fuel is calling my name!"

"I thought as much," said Mario. "Brace yourself, Luigi; I'm gonna put the pedal to the metal!"

"I don't like the sound of this," groaned LuigI, holding onto his cap as Mario floored the gas.

"You'll never catch me in that dated hunk of metal!" yelled Koopa as he picked up speed.

"Oh yeah?" shouted Mario.

"Yeah! The Koopcycle is superior Koopa technology!"

Rummaging through the glove compartment, Mario found a wrench. He carefully aimed at King Koopa's engine and threw it. But Koopa swerved to the right and avoided the wrench.

"Nice try, drain-brain, but I'm not that stupid!" he chuckled. "Here, have some smokescreen!"

With that, he pressed a button, and smokescreen was ejected from his exhaust pipe, blanketing Mario's car.

"I can't see a thing!" shouted Luigi.

"Let's activate the Plumber Periscope!" declared Mario as he pressed the appropriate button on the control panel. A periscope extended above the smokescreen. Soon he could see King Koopa.

"There he is!" Mario exclaimed. "Here, take the periscope; I'll catch up to him faster than you can say "ravioli!"

"Okay… Ravioli!" Luigi said. When he looked up, they were out of the smokescreen and next to the Koopcycle.

"Wait, how did you-" King Koopa stuttered.

"A plumber never reveals his secrets," Mario simply stated.

Luigi suddenly pointed ahead. "Mario, think we can hit that block up there?"

"I don't know," replied Mario. "It's kinda high. Wait, didn't we install ejector seats in both the driver's and passenger's sides?"

"That's right, we did!"

"Are you sure you're up to this, Luigi?" Mario asked seriously.

"Wait, what?" exclaimed a panicked Luigi. He didn't expect Mario to give him this task.

"Luigi, you don't know how to drive. This is our only option."

"All right, then." Luigi felt the sudden responsibility on his shoulders. Taking a deep breath, he pressed the eject button.

Time seemed to stand still as Luigi soared through the air. He raised his fist so that he wouldn't smash his head on the block above him. In a moment, his fist collided with the bottom of the block…

"MARIO! HELP! I'M FALLING!" screamed Luigi as he plummeted back to earth.

In a flash Mario had the car positioned so that Luigi would land harmlessly in the passenger's seat.

"That was close…" breathed Luigi.

Suddenly the Fire Flower that had emerged from the block fell toward their car.

"It's all yours, Luigi!" Mario shouted just before Luigi caught the Fire Flower. Instantly his outfit changed. He was now wearing a white cap, a white shirt, and green overalls. Luigi felt stronger.

"Give him all you've got!" shouted Mario as he resumed the chase.

"You said it!" exclaimed Luigi as he let fly fireball after fireball toward King Koopa.

"Hey! What are you-" Koopa started. But a fireball hit his engine, and he started spinning out of control.

"Whoooooaaaaaa…!"

The Koopcycle crashed into a tree just after King Koopa activated an ejector seat of his own.

"I'll be back, Mario Brothers!" he shouted as he flew to parts unknown.

"He always says that," marveled Luigi.

"And yet he always keeps his word," warned Mario. "We've got to be more careful in the future."

* * *

Meanwhile, Princess Toadstool and Toad were just finishing a whispered conversation on how they could get rid of the Hammer Bros. This done, they sneaked over to the door and put their plan into action.

"Excuse me! Guards!" Toadstool called. She didn't know if the plan would work, but it was worth a try.

"You called, Princess?" answered one of the Hammer Bros.

"I just received word that the Mario Bros. are returning soon. You'll catch them if you hurry."

"You sure this isn't just a ruse?" warned the other Hammer Bro.

"It can't be. The Mario Brothers know when their favorite girl is in trouble. We'll go take care of them."

The princess and Toad breathed a sigh of relief as the Hammer Bros. left. A moment later, the Mario Brothers pulled into the driveway. Luigi's Fire Flower power had worn off.

"Did King Koopa try to get the rocket fuel?" Toad inquired.

"Yup. But we drove him out of town, right Luigi?" said Mario.

"That's right!" replied an eager Luigi. "That's what the Mario Brothers are for!"

"By the way, Princess, were those Hammer Bros. we passed coming from your house?" asked Mario.

"Oh, they were nothing we couldn't handle."

"I guess that makes four Mushroom Land Heroes!" deducted Luigi.

"Now let's _rocket_ over to Car Land!" Princess Toadstool exclaimed, as everyone laughed at the pun.

* * *

 **A/N:** How's that for the first issue of Super Mario Bros: The Novelized Comic? I did my best to capture the feel of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! in both stories. The Return of Robo Koopa pays homage to the aforementioned cartoon's episode Robo Koopa, while Car Land Caper referenced the episode Toad Warriors. Car Land Caper's working title was Chase Through Car Land. As for the Plumber's Log numbers, 1.5 is most likely an update number (it doesn't have a true reference), while 65 is the standard highway speed in the United States. The Koopcycle is an original element; it made an interesting touch to Car Land Caper. Its working title was Koopa Bike.

* * *

"Hey, paisanos!" greeted Mario. "It's time for the first-ever edition of **Ask the Mario Characters.** As stated above, this feature makes up for the lack of fan art, fan letters, and Off-Panels. In this section, you, the readers, get to ask us questions, or even dare us... if you dare!

"Of course, there are a few rules to follow," said Toad.

"That's right," said Luigi. "Rule #1 is **keep it clean.** That means no profanity. None. We want to keep this fan fiction at a K+ rating maximum."

"Rule #2," called Princess Toadstool, "is **do not send us questions through the reviews.** The FFN rules clearly state that. Instead, send them to our author via PM."

"Rule #3," said King Koopa, "is that if you ask questions about the story, **they will be answered next chapter before the story** , and therefore not be featured in this section. Wait, was I losing my evil touch there?"

Everyone laughed.

"And Rule #4," announced Toad, "is **you can only send questions to characters that have appeared in the story so far.** Starting with this chapter, feel free to shoot questions to me, Mario, Luigi, the princess, or Lizard Lips over there."

"What did you just call me?!" demanded King Koopa.

"Oh, uh, it was nothing, heheh..."

"Now that you know the rules," said Mario, "bring on those questions. We'll be ready."

* * *

 **Next time:**

Mario and his friends looked out the window of their dwelling. What they saw was utter chaos.

"What are they doing?!" exclaimed Luigi incredulously.

"They're using chemicals to destroy all the vegetation!" replied Toad.

"This is horrible," said a concerned Mario. "Simply horrible."


	2. SMB Issue 2 (Dec 1989)

**A/N:** This issue is a little more advanced in its format compared to last issue, but will return to the old format for a few more issues. This issue also has one longer story as opposed to two shorter stories that the last issue had.

And now to answer our reviews/questions:

 _ **animegamefanatic:** omg, so cute. I can picture this being a comic. It would start out in the oldies fashion like sonic comics did and then build up to the modern era. :D keep up the awesomeness :D_

Thank you! :D And yes, that's the idea.

And now, on to the comic!

* * *

 **Subcon Day**

* * *

 _"Plumber's Log, Number 88. It has been one year since we liberated Subcon Land from the tyranny of Wart. Now we are celebrating a party commemorating this event. Of course, we can't go without danger for long..."_

"The Subcons really know how to throw a party, Princess," complimented Toad.

"I agree, Toad. Look, the Subcon leader is coming now!"

Sure enough, the king of Subcon was approaching the team.

"King Merto! It's good to see you again!" Mario greeted the Subcon leader.

"Likewise. Again, I thank you for liberating my people from the evil Wart. It couldn't have been done without you."

"Aw, it was nothing," blushed Luigi.

"Has Wart been seen since we defeated him?" asked Princess Toadstool.

"Rumor has it he is still living in his castle, but we haven't seen him since."

"That's good to hear," said Toad.

"Now let's keep partying! I hear more food is on the way!" Merto exclaimed as the party went on.

* * *

"Welcome to Subcon Land, King Koopa. I am honored to have you," greeted Wart as King Koopa entered.

"No need to be diplomatic, Wart. We're both villains, right?"

"I was just being theatrical," joked Wart. "So you proposed a plan to make me king of Subcon Land again?"

"I did," replied Koopa. "Didn't those Mario heroes defeat you with vegetables?"

"Yes," answered Wart. "Is this related to your plan?"

"Absolutely! There is no way the plumbers can defeat you if there are no vegetables anywhere!"

"So what are you thinking?" asked an intrigued Wart.

"I say we spray all the vegetation in Subcon Land with poison spray!" proposed King Koopa.

"Brilliant! And you're sure it will work?"

"I've tested it, Wart. It works like a charm."

"This plan is foolproof!" Wart beamed as the two villains laughed.

* * *

Meanwhile, Mario and the others were heading into the house they rented from the Subcon. It had been a big party, and it was time to settle down for the night.

Suddenly there was a sickening aroma from outside. As Luigi went to close the window, he stopped dead in his tracks.

"Oh no..."

"What is it, Luigi?" asked Princess Toadstool as she and the others headed over to Luigi's side.

"What are those bad guys doing?!" exclaimed Luigi.

"They're using chemicals to destroy all of Subcon Land's vegetation!" shouted Toad.

"This is horrible," stated Mario. "Simply horrible."

Being the superstar hero that he is, he paced the floor and began to assess the situation.

"It looks like some of our enemies of the minion type are destroying all plant life in Subcon Land," he said. "But why? Luigi, what kind of enemies did you see?"

Luigi took another look outside while closing the window. "I see... Shy Guys... Koopas... Flurries... Goombas-"

"That can only mean one thing," interrupted Mario. "King Koopa and Wart are working together. Yes, I'm as surprised as you are that Wart is back, but what strikes me even more is how King Koopa even got here in the first place. Back on topic, why do you think they're polluting the vegetation?"

"They must want us to buy our food from them!" said Toad.

"No, Toad, I don't think we have the evidence to back that claim. Anyone else?"

"Didn't we use vegetables to defeat Wart?" asked the princess.

"Yes," said Mario, "Yes we did..." The gears began turning in Mario's brain. Suddenly he had the answer.

"Yes! I got it!" he exclaimed. "Since we used vegetables to defeat Wart, the enemies are getting rid of them, thinking that can make Wart invincible! You three! Take care of those minions! I'm off to stop Wart!" With that, he raced out the door.

"...What just happened?" said a bewildered Toad.

* * *

"I see our plan is working perfectly," said Wart, as they could see the poisonous steam rising from over the hills.

"Yeah, think of all the benefits you can reap by being invincible!" exclaimed King Koopa. "Well, I'm off to supervise the operation."

As he left, Wart glanced over at the machine in the center of the room. It had churned out those horrific vegetables that those good guys used to defeat him. Now it was just a machine under no one's activation.

"Snifits, come here," said Wart. "We're going to give this machine a little modification..."

* * *

"Vegetable... vegetable... Koopa shell... come on!" Mario was desperately pulling up plants in search of something. His friends were doing a great job keeping the enemies at bay. However, just as he was pulling up a Starman, which he needed, and was pocketing it, a stray Goomba charged at him.

"You're no match for Super Mario!" he challenged as he picked up the Koopa shell and threw it at the Goomba. After picking up 100 points, it collided with some of the other nearby enemies.

"Way to go, Mario!" Toad cheered. Mario gave his signature V for victory and pressed on for Wart's castle.

* * *

Climbing through clouds to reach a palace is no easy task, especially for a plumber who's trying to stop a lizard and a frog from polluting the vegetation. It reminded Mario of an old fairy tale he had read long ago.

Finally he reached the top and proceeded to the doors.

"Just think, Mario," he told himself, "once this task is done, you'll be able to go home and have a nice big dish of spaghe-"

But he didn't finish the sentence, as the front doors suddenly opened, and King Koopa, flanked by four Snifits, strode out.

"You!" he roared.

"How did you even get here without dreaming about Subcon first? And how did you survive the fall?"

"Oh, I did dream about Subcon... after I had one of my minions murmur 'Subcon' to me over and over to get me to dream about it. As for the fall, let's blame that on game mechanics. We don't really need to worry about gravity until '96."

"What in the world are you talking about, Koopa?" demanded Mario.

"...I did it again, didn't I?"

"Did what again?"

Koopa sighed. "Never mind! I'm here to take you down once and for all!"

"Oh really?" Mario said as he fished his Starman out of his pocket and activated it. Star power coursed through his body as he charged toward King Koopa.

"That's against the game mechanics! No inventories until 2006!"

But Mario ran right through King Koopa, blowing him through an upstairs window. Then Mario ran through the open door.

Blazing though the halls, Mario noticed the lack of enemies. "Lights on, but nobody's home," he thought. "They probably didn't spare any minions."

* * *

Mario stormed into Wart's room, taking him completely by surprise. Unfortunately, his Star power was wearing off.

"Gah! What gives?!" Wart exclaimed.

"Game over, Wart! Call back your minions!" ordered Mario.

"What, and ruin my plan to become invincible?" said Wart. "You must be like one of the messengers, brought in by the wind." Activating what used to be the veggie machine, he cackled. "And that same wind will send you out!"

As the rotors began turning, Mario leaped forward, and so dodged the blast of air aimed at the window.

"You're a persistent one, Mario, but how do you stand against THIS!"

Wart took a deep breath, and breathed a deadly stream of poison bubbles in Mario's direction. Mario dodged backward, into the path of the fan. Just as he was being blown out the window, the door opened and King Koopa returned. He was suddenly hit full force with Wart's bubbles. King Koopa was mostly unharmed because of his thick hide.

"You planned that!" said an enraged Wart.

"But... I... N-no, Mario was here, and I thought I had him. Fortunately I blew him out the window."

"Let me see!" said Koopa as Wart turned off the fan. Looking out the window, Koopa could see Mario picking himself up and running back the way he came.

"He accomplished nothing by coming here." Wart stated.

"And neither did we," said Koopa.

Wart was surprised. "What do you mean?"

"On the way here, Mario ran right through me as if I were nothing. He was under the effect of a Starman."

"And?"

"And he could easily do the same to you."

"So... you mean I'm not invincible?"

"Unfortunately not."

Wart sighed. "You are a good partner. For your cooperation, I'd like to give you a portion of my army... mostly Shy Guys and Bob-ombs."

"Yes! I like you already!"

"However, there is one thing I want you to give me in return."

"And what is that?"

"I want a Starman. I want to use it to make me truly invincible. I will modify this machine and use it to harness the Starman's power. Then I will be invincible forever!"

"Uh, I really don't think that's-"

"Run along now. You know how cranky I get if I'm kept waiting."

"Fiiiiine..."

* * *

As King Koopa was leaving with his newly-expanded army, he muttered to himself, "I knew that offer was too good to be true..."

* * *

Meanwhile, as the Subcon sun was rising, Mario was just returning to the Subcon town, where his friends were dusting themselves off after defeating the minions. Apparently most of the other minions fled as well.

"Welcome back, Mario!" greeted Luigi.

"Did you teach that frog king a lesson?" eagerly asked Toad.

"Yes, but not in the way you'd expect," said Mario. "I did show him that he couldn't be completely invincible if he got rid of all the vegetables in Subcon Land."

"And how did you do that, Mario?" inquired Princess Toadstool.

"Well... Let's just say that I'm a star!"

Everyone laughed at the joke.

"Do all your adventures end with pointless puns?" asked a confused King Merto.

* * *

 **A/N:** And that wraps up the second issue! King Koopa's debt to Wart is a plot point I plan on expanding on in a later issue. The Plumber's Log number 88 is a reference to the year that Super Mario Bros. 2 was released. Merto is a custom name for the King of Subcon; his actual name is Ōsama, but I did not want any controversy involving Osama bin Laden. Additionally, I believe I've just started a running gag involving King Koopa unintentionally breaking the fourth wall. The two games he mentioned this issue are Super Mario 64 and New Super Mario Bros.

* * *

"Mama mia," said Mario, "it looks like we don't have any questions to answer this issue! But that's okay. Just send us your questions via the author's PM, and please follow the rules stated in Issue 1. The characters you may send your questions and/or dares to are as follows:

 **Mario**

 **Luigi**

 **Princess Toadstool**

 **Toad**

 **King Koopa**

And the newcomer:

 **Wart**

"Until next time, everybody, do the Mario!"

* * *

 **Next time:**

Toad lifted the ceramic wrap over one of the dishes. A foul odor emerged from the dish within.

"Princess!" he called. "This dish is poisoned!"

"Who could have done such a thing?" said Princess Toadstool, rushing over to him.

Toad scowled. "Koopa."


	3. SMB Issue 3 (Jan 1990)

**A/N:** Hey everybody, what's up? I just realized that The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! did not broadcast until September 1989, and my comic had its date in March. So I'm changing the first issue date to November 1989. This will not affect the story.

 _ **SnivyLatios:** Enjoying it so far, keep up the good work! Actually expected this to be the ones where Mario and Luigi are from Brooklyn or Italy or wherever that was and while plumbing they stumbled into a pipe into the Mushroom Kingdoom and so on, to be honest, but this is also good, based upon the games starting from the Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 2 (so far) while executing the story in a different way!_

 _Well, I guess that's all for now. Thanks for reading :)_

 _~Akira, your loyal reader and reviewer_

Thank you kindly for the review! I do have plans for a story arc related to Brooklyn in the near future. *hint hint*

And now, on to the comic!

* * *

 **The Death Mushroom**

* * *

 _"Plumber's Log, Number As33. We are in the midst of preparations for the princess' annual picnic. But what is a picnic without a King Koopa scheme?"_

"This is going to be some party, Princess," Toad complimented.

"I can't wait for the spaghetti," said Mario.

"Me too, Mario," agreed Princess Toadstool. "Please excuse me, I'm very busy. You two, the tablecloth goes the other way." She resumed directing the setup.

Luigi walked up to Mario. "King Koopa would love to crash a party like this one, Mario."

"I know, Luigi. That's why I've been on high alert all day."

A few moments later, the princess announced that she would finish getting ready in her private tent, leaving the directing to Toad. He was unaware that a Koopa spy was just returning to King Koopa.

* * *

Meanwhile, on a hill overlooking the picnic, King Koopa was plotting more evil schemes.

"Three issues, three parties! She's on a roll!" he said to himself.

The Koopa spy returned.

"The princess has gone into her tent, Your Koop-ness," he reported.

"I already saw that through my binoculars. Sigh... Sometimes I wonder why I bother sending scouts... Mouser! Triclyde! Are you two almost finished with my brew?"

"Yes, boss," replied Mouser. Soon, he raised the welding goggles he was wearing, grabbed a pair of tongs, and lifted a brown mushroom from the cooking pot.

"Here you are, boss, a perfectly deadly Poison Mushroom," Triclyde presented.

"Perfect!" Koopa exclaimed. "Now make a convincing Mushroomer dish with it. McKoopa, dress into your Mushroomer suit. This is my best evil plan yet!"

"But boss," objected Mouser, "we don't know how to cook."

"Perhaps _this_ will help?" King Koopa shoved a stolen Mushroomer cookbook into Mouser's hands.

"Which one was it..." mused Mouser.

"Just. Make. The. Generic. Casserole."

"Right, boss."

* * *

There were still some late contributions to the picnic. One of them was from an unusually fat Mushroomer. His dish was wrapped in thick plastic wrap.

"And what did you bring today, sir?" Toad inquired.

"Oh, this is a very special dish," the Mushroomer replied. "It's made with only the best Mushrooms in this land."

"Right then, just place it on this table." directed Toad.

As he set the dish down, and was turning to leave, Toad held back a gasp. There was an unusual bulge on this Mushroomer's back.

Turning back to the dish, Toad slowly lifted the plastic wrap. A putrid odor instantly hit him as he saw what looked like a poisoned Mushroom casserole.

He turned and ran.

* * *

"How do I look, boys?" said the princess as she emerged from her tent. Her hair was tied back, and she was wearing a beautiful white picnic gown.

"Beautiful, Princess," Mario complimented.

Just as Luigi was about to compliment, Toad cry of "Princess!" drew their attention to him.

"What is it, Toad?" asked Toadstool.

"A fat Mushroomer stopped by and delivered a poisonous dish!" he said urgently.

"Poisoned? We need to take care of this immediately!" said the princess as they raced over to the dish.

* * *

"Yup. It's poisoned," concluded Mario as they scrutinized the dish.

"Do you think Koopa might be behind this?" asked Luigi.

"Toad, describe the Mushroomer again," said Mario.

"Well... He was unusually fat, with a large hump on his back-"

"Then that was definitely Koopa!" Luigi jumped in.

"Or one of his minions, at least," Mario said cautiously.

"Go take care of King Koopa, boys. Toad and I will dispose of this dish."

"Let's-a go!" said Mario as he and Luigi ran off in search of King Koopa.

* * *

The Koopa Pack Koopa known as McKoopa entered King Koopa's camp.

"Where's your costume?" demanded a puzzled King Koopa.

"I was getting kind of hot in it, so I took it off along the way."

"You WHAT?!"

Fuming, King Koopa continued ranting. "Now those Mario Brothers will be able to track us down! All because of you, blockhead! Now we've got to relocate!"

"Too late, Koopa."

King Koopa turned to the source of the noise. There, at the entrance to the camp, were Mario and Luigi, hands on hips.

"Looks like they've got more than we can handle," said a nervous Luigi.

"Are you kidding, Luigi? We've taken down bigger threats than these before breakfast!"

Koopa and his three minions began closing in.

"Okay, you have me there, Luigi."

Turning in the direction of the picnic, Mario shouted, "Princess! Toad! We need your help! He's got the Koopa Pack with him!"

Koopa was amused. "Why are you so cowardly all of a sudden? You never acted like this in the RPGs."

"There you go again, breaking the fourth wall," said Mario.

"I think it's just a running gag our author made up for me... uh... Never mind! Koopa Pack, attack!"

"Here comes the cavalry!" Toad announced as he and the princess leaped into the fray. Just like old times, Toadstool engaged Triclyde, Toad chose Mouser, Luigi picked McKoopa, and Mario took on King Koopa.

Mouser grabbed a bomb from the bag he always carried around with him, and threw it at Toad, but he jumped out of the way and it hit Triclyde instead.

"Watch where you're aiming, rat!" he shouted.

"It wasn't me, it was zis fungus who decided to dodge my attack!" replied Mouser in his Swiss accent.

"Well then, I'll roast him for you!" said Triclyde.

"You'll have to deal with me first!" shouted the princess as she raced toward him.

"Oh, that'll be easy!" he shouted as he breathed fireballs at both Toadstool and Toad.

Meanwhile, Luigi was struggling against McKoopa who had retreated into his shell and was bouncing off the walls toward him. After running for a little bit, he jumped into the air, and landed neatly onto McKoopa's shell. Hoisting it into the air, he let it fly at Mouser. The shell hit him, and sent him stumbling into Triclyde.

"That was amazing, Luigi!" remarked Princess Toadstool.

King Koopa, seeing the defeat of the Koopa Pack, grabbed a spare Poison Mushroom and menacingly approached Mario with it.

"Go on, have a bite," he taunted. "I know how you do love your Mushrooms. Here, maybe you can try it withe your spaghetti."

"No thank you!" Mario shouted, slapping the mushroom out of Koopa's hands. Suddenly, Mario began feeling ill.

"Mario!" shouted Princess Toadstool in shock.

"Hahahahahaha!" King Koopa laughed. "Did I procrastinate to disclose that its properties can still be transferred by contact in addition to consumption?"

"Since when did you learn to say fifty-coin words like that, Lizard Lips?"

"Since... Since..." he never really used large words like those. "I don't have time for this fourth-wall nonsense!"

"You're lucky I don't stay down for long," Mario said, grabbing a Mushroom. "I always carry Mushrooms with me for such emergencies as this!" With that, he consumed the Mushroom, and the poison was gone.

"Hey! Remember what I said last issue? No inventories!"

"Double fourth wall reference!"

"Aargh! I don't have time for this!" he grabbed a magic potion, and threw it at a nearby tree. "Come on, Koopa Pack! We're retreating!"

As Mouser, Triclyde, and McKoopa leaped through the door that appeared in the tree, Koopa paused to shout, "He who koops and runs away, lives to koop another day!" before leaping through the door that vanished a moment later.

"Well, that was easy," remarked Luigi as the group made their way back to the picnic.

"Yes, but don't expect every battle to be like that," cautioned Mario.

Turning to the reader/viewer, he said, "This was a longer story, wasn't it? Well, this issue comes with a second story! Two for the price of one! Even with being a free site! Maybe the next story won't have so much fourth-wall breaking..."

* * *

 **Will the Real Mario Please Stand Up!**

* * *

 _"Plumber's Log, Number '69. It has been two months since we checked out the rocket fuel in Car Land. Now it's going to be put into a rocket for a test launch. As of now we haven't seen Koopa yet, but-"_

Mario looked up. The others were staring at him.

"What?" said Mario.

"Mario, you've been saying your Plumber's Log entries out loud," stated Toad. "Wouldn't it be better if you just wrote them down?"

"It's for dramatic effect, but I'll take up your advice," said Mario, taking out his diary.

"Is everyone ready to see the rocket?" asked the princess.

"Yeah!" agreed Luigi and Toad.

Mario, however, was writing down his Plumber's Log entry.

"The rocket launches at 5," announced the princess. "And since it's 2:30 now, that leaves us an hour to get there, and another hour to be admitted through security. We'd better start out."

* * *

Meanwhile, King Koopa and the Koopa Pack had also heard about the rocket.

"I mean, who hasn't heard about it? It's in the papers. It's on the news. It's even posted next to that 'Post No Bills' sign."

"Boss, you're breaking ze fourth wall again," said Mouser.

"I am?" King Koopa gasped. He didn't even realize he was misusing and overusing the somewhat magical fourth wall experience this whole time.

"So we've got a rocket to launch in just over two hours. What's the plan, boss?"

"Simple! We steal it!"

"More in-depth, please?" McKoopa pressed.

"Villains don't say please!" King Koopa burst out. "And yes, I've got an in-depth plan already. You know my seemingly infinite stock of Magic Potions I use at the end of many episodes? We'll use some to transform us into the spitting images of those Marios!"

"Brilliant!" cheered Mouser.

"I couldn't have thought of a better plan myself," said McKoopa.

"That's because you can't think to begin with," retorted Koopa. "Now come on; those Magic Potions won't activate themselves."

* * *

"You know, princess," Mario was saying as he was driving his friends to Car Land, "why is it every time we earn 100 coins, that money is immediately spent on something worthless, like an extra life? Why can't we get linguine or ravioli with that money? I mean, shops aren't introduced to our series until-"

"Are you, the ultimate fourth-wall defender, questioning game mechanics?" Toad said.

"You just did it yourself!" Luigi pointed out.

"Oh, here's the entrance checkpoint," said Princess Toadstool from the passenger's seat.

"Sorry, guys," said the Mushroomer in the booth, "but you must be impostors."

"WHAT?!" the Marios cried in shock.

"You guys were already here before you."

"That's definitely Koopa," Mario said.

"There's also Wart..." added Luigi.

"He's stranded in Subcon Land, remember?"

"Oh yeah..."

"Wait, you said it was King Koopa?" said the Mushroomer.

"Only he could come up with a plot so devious. Did he break the fourth wall when he stopped by?"

"Hmm... He did say something about asking Nintendo to program a garage into one of his countless hideouts."

"That's him all right," confirmed Toad.

"You may pass," said the Mushroomer. "I hope you take down your doubles."

"Oh, we will," Mario said as they drove on.

* * *

Once they parked the car and walked over to the viewing deck, Mario stated that they should split up so they would have a better chance at finding the Koopa Pack. Mario walked on, scanning the crowd and pocketing a few coins along the way.

"I hope no one notices they're missing change," he thought.

He met up with Toad just then.

"No luck," he reported. "But I think you might find zem down Corridor B7 or around zere..."

"All right, thanks."

He then did a double take.

"Toad, where did you get that Swiss accent?"

"Uh... Well, you see..."

"You're Mouser!" Mario concluded.

"Right you are," he said, "but you'll never catch me!"

He started to run, but was stopped by the voice of a Mushroomer security officer.

"You there! No running!"

"But he's ze impostor!" Mouser countered. "He's going to attack me!"

"Is this true?" demanded the officer of Mario.

"The real Toad doesn't have a Swiss accent," Mario defended himself."

"Yeah, we've noticed."

Two guards hoisted Mouser off the ground and carried him away.

"Well, that was easy," Mario thought. "One down, three to go!"

* * *

Later on, Luigi, Princess Toadstool, and Toad, who had not found any impostors, met up with Mario.

"I managed to take down McKoopa, Mouser, and Triclyde," he reported as they walked down a corridor to the viewing room. "Only King Koopa is left."

They suddenly ran into another Mario.

"Found you, impostor!" the first Mario said.

"Guys! Don't trust him! I'm the real Mario!" the second Mario shouted.

"No, I'm the real Mario!"

"I'll prove that I'm the real Mario!" he said. He emptied his pockets, revealing loose change.

"Your turn."

The other Mario emptied his pockets, revealing nothing but a candy wrapper, a half-eaten donut, a Babe Shroom baseball card, and King Koopa's book of evil schemes.

"No!" he shouted. "I've been undone!"

"Yeah, especially since your potion is wearing off," he said, pointing to King Koopa's tail that was coming from Mario's overalls.

"Koopa Pack, attack!"

"You won't have to worry about that," said a guard who was taking him away. "Your friends are already in Mushroom Police custody."

"But we didn't do anything!"

"This will say otherwise," the guard said, waving a paper under Koopa's nose. It was his blueprints for his plan to sabotage the rocket and steal it for himself!

"I'll be back, Marios!" he shouted as he was dragged away.

* * *

As Mario and his friends were watching the rocket take off, Mario said, "I think King Koopa has learned a powerful lesson today."

"What's that, Mario?" said Luigi.

"He's learned that since he got too big for his overalls, he was exposed in the end!"

"That's britches!" shouted King Koopa from the detention office as the Marios laughed.

* * *

 **A/N:** ...Well, this was an interesting issue. Lots of fourth wall breaking, I must say. McKoopa is a custom name for the unnamed Koopa Pack Koopa. He really needed to be named if I'm going to use him a lot. It actually took me quite a while to come up with that name. While The Death Mushroom was planned, I did not have an immediate idea for Will the Real Mario Please Stand Up!, so that one was written on the fly. Yes, I know the Poison Mushroom is purple in color, but it appeared brown in the NES version of Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels, and so I decided to stick to the games in this area. Will the Real Mario Please Stand Up! was originally called I Dream of Koopa, a pun on I Dream of Jeannie, but the final story wasn't even remotely similar to the show. The name changed once again, this time to Rocket Rascals, after the game mode in Mario Party DS, before changing once more to the final name it is now. As for the Plumber's Log numbers, As33 is the abbreviation and number for arsenic, which is poisonous. '69 is the year the Saturn V rocket was launched.

* * *

"Hey, paisanos, it's time for **Mario's Mailbag!** " announced Mario. "But before we begin, I want to make an amendment to one of our rules. **No questions in the reviews.** Questions that are asked in the reviews **will be ignored.** Instead, **use the author's PM.** All right, on to the questions and dares! All of today's questions and dares are submitted by **SnivyLatios**."

"Cool name," commented Luigi.

"First question is for me and Luigi," announced Mario. " **If you understand what I mean, how long does the string between you two bind? Can it break when you two are very far apart?** "

"We are very close brothers, closer than many other siblings we've seen," said Luigi.

"Even when we are very far apart from each other, the brotherly bond still holds," Mario said. "And when we reunite with each other, it strengthens even more."

"That was beautifully put," complimented Princess Toadstool.

Luigi blushed. "Thank you."

Mario looked at the question paper again. "The next question is for King Koopa."

"This is gonna be good..."

"And it is. **How much do you know about the outside force (or fourth wall) you shouldn't know about? Why doesn't anyone else know about it?** "

"I actually know a lot about the fourth wall," answered King Koopa. "In fact, even Shigeru Miamoto doesn't know about it. I first heard about it while working on King Koopa's Kool Kartoons. I haven't stopped breaking it since."

Wart sighed. "Mr. Miamoto will find out about it soon enough."

"How come no one else knows about it?" continued the Koopa King. "Because they're not the big hot shots like I am." He glanced around at the others, who were staring at him in disbelief. "Well... Mario knows a little about it, but the others don't because they don't have direct contact with Nintendo like we do!"

"Speak for yourself," muttered Luigi.

"And now for the dares," Mario announced, flipping the paper over. "King Koopa, your dare is to **teach everyone about the fourth wall. Simple.. right?** "

"Well, yes, it is easy, once you get the hang of it. On a stage, you have the first and second walls to your left and right. The third wall is the back wall, which I hear has a problem with falling scenery when people fight on stage. And the fourth wall is the wall between you and the audience. Breaking the fourth wall is simply referring to the audience or the game or whatever you are in. That is breaking the fourth wall."

"I'm glad it's Koopa who's breaking the fourth wall, and not one of us," said Toad.

"Next dare is for one of us, Luigi. **Hit King Wart with a fruit, not a vegetable. I repeat, a fruit, and not a vegetable.** "

"Uh... I'll do it," volunteered Luigi.

"He actually recognized my position as king! No one ever usually does that-"

Wart was suddenly hit by a tomato.

"Weren't you listening, drain-brain?" shouted King Koopa. "He said a FRUIT, not a VEGETABLE!"

"You're not wrong, Luigi," defended Toad. "Scientifically, a tomato _is_ a fruit."

"As if _that_ will make me feel better," muttered Wart.

"And that proves Wart _can_ be damaged with fruit," said Luigi, "or any other food for that matter."

"This last dare is for everyone!" said Mario. "He says: **I prounounce an eating contest! Let them eat as much cake as they want, the prize is the cake itself!** "

"I just so happen to have a cake ready," said the princess.

Soon after, King Koopa is pronounced the winner.

"Where's the prize?" he demanded.

"The cake is a lie, remember?" said Toad. "Besides, we already ate it."

"If only Mario's Time Machine came out sooner than later..." said Luigi.

"You're learning fast," said King Koopa, "but that won't help you defeat me! Koopa Pack, attack!"

"That reminds me," said Mario, " **you can now ask questions to Mouser, Triclyde, and McKoopa**!"

The Koopa Pack were now chasing Luigi around the room.

"Until next time, everybody, do the Mario!"

* * *

 **Next time:**

"Please help us," the man said, "A hideous monster is threatening to steal the magical bush at the center of our land."

"Hmm..." mused Mario. "That monster must be Koopa."


	4. SMB Issue 4 (Feb 1990)

**A/N:** Hey, everybody, what's up? I'm pleased to announce that my younger brother is helping out with some of the stories. He has an account here named AlphaWeasel. He's writing a fun Winnie the Pooh story; you should check it out!

AlphaWeasel wrote the synopsis of the second story in this issue, and I wrote the final version.

Just a quick note: Things will start to pick up soon, starting with the next issue.

Question time!

 _ **SnivyLatios:** Will Mario games not part of the "Super Mario Bros." games (like for example, Yoshi's Island, Donkey Kong, etc.) be involved in this story? Because this story is revovling around Mario and the other characters, I'm wondering if those games are part of this story (I know Yoshi's going to be because he appeared in Super Mario World). Oh, and the Mario Kart/Mario Party series? Will they be involved?_

Yes and yes. I had originally considered the Donkey Kong, Wario, and Yoshi series to be separate comics, but I changed my mind; they will be in the regular issues. It will be a challenge to write them, since I don't really know much about those games. The Yoshi series will be the easiest to write about, and the Wario series the hardest. Mario Kart and Mario Party will also be involved; in fact, I'll use as many Mario elements as I can, including Hotel Mario, and excluding Bowser's use of black magic and The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

I do not own anything in this fanfic except for any original content that I come up with. Mario belongs to Nintendo. Constructive criticism is allowed, but please, no flames.

And now, on to the comic!

* * *

 **As You Love It**

* * *

 _"Plumber's Log, Number 1599. My friends and I are traveling through Shakespeare Land. Not much else to write here, because we haven't been here long..."_

"This is like a walk through history," remarked Toad as he and his three friends were traveling through Shakespeare Land. Everywhere they looked, there were Shakespearean-era buildings and decorations.

"I agree, Toad," agreed Princess Toadstool. "It's really quite fascinating."

"Remember, we're here because I heard a rumor from someone back at Mushroom Land that King Koopa would be here," reminded Mario.

Suddenly a man in a black wig ran up to them.

"Bill Spearshaker?" asked Luigi. "The famous writer?!"

"Yes, that's me. Lis-"

"I've read all your works! Including Twelfth Hour! Can you believe that twist ending? I couldn't believe that-"

"I need yo-"

"Oh, oh, oh! Then there was The Two Gentlemen of Veronica! I didn't know they were Archie and Jughead in disguise!"

"Excuse me-"

"And _then_ there was-"

"Luigi!"

"Yes?"

"You can hero-worship me later, but I seriously need your help. There was a green monster and a few other monsters with him. They demanded 100,000 coins by three this afternoon, or else he would steal the Prose Bush in the middle of Shakespeare Land!"

"Green monster..." Luigi mused. "That has to be King Koopa."

"My thoughts exactly," agreed Mario.

"So Bill," Toad began, "what's so important about the Prose Bush anyway?"

"Ever since I began my career as a playwright, that magical bush's branches have supplied me with fresh ideas every day. The ideas are written on its leaves.

"But how am I going to rub together 100,000 coins to give to a thief?" he moaned.

"Don't worry about that," Mario reassured. "We've got this."

"The Mario Brothers can handle anything!" said Luigi.

"Excellent! I knew I could count on you!" said Bill. "Go get him for me! No, for us!"

"Let's-a go!" rallied Mario as he and his teammates raced off to the Prose Bush to find clues.

* * *

Not too long after, they arrived at the Prose Bush.

"Oh no..." groaned Luigi.

"What are you talking about? It's beautiful!" said the princess.

"Koopa was here first," sighed Luigi.

"But... he broke his promise!" exclaimed Toad.

"He almost never keeps them unless they're in his favor, which they usually are," said Mario. "Oh! I know where he went!"

"Where?" the others asked.

"See that trail of Prose petals?" Mario gestured to said trail leading away from the bush.

"Then what are we waiting for?" said Toad. "Let's go!"

They began following the trail. It wasn't too long before Mario let out a sigh.

"Dead end," he announced.

"Emphasis on dead!" King Koopa exclaimed as he and several of his minions emerged from behind a clump of bushes.

"Hey! We're trying to keep this fanfic at a K+ rating maximum!" exclaimed Mario.

"Look who's breaking the fourth wall this time," marveled Koopa. "Speaking of wall, want to know what's on the other side of this greenhouse wall?"

"What?"

"Oh, I'm not telling you my evil plan ahead of time!" he said as several Goombas, Koopas, and Hammer Bros grabbed the four and threw them into the greenhouse. Before they could turn back, King Koopa had closed and locked the door.

"Look below you, goodie-goodies," he taunted through a slit window in the door.

Below the thin ledge they were standing on was a pit of voracious Piranha Plants.

"In just a few moments," he cackled, "You'll experience your own greenhouse effect! No way you can stop me by three, especially since there's nothing to stop me from stealing the Prose Bush _now_!"

As King Koopa left, the four pondered their situation. That was when Mario noticed something on the ceiling.

"Everyone, see that glass panel in the roof? I think it's loose," he pointed to the ceiling.

"Yes, I see it," Toadstool confirmed.

"But how do we get up there?" asked Luigi.

"Easy! We just need to make a human stack." He glanced at Toad. "Well... mostly human.

"Right then, I'll be at the bottom, the Luigi climbs on top of me, then the princess, and Toad will climb on top and open the panel."

"Are you sure it's a good idea?" asked the princess, cautiously.

"Princess, there's no other way. At least we have a wall to lean on if we're gonna fall."

"I'm already grateful for that," said Luigi.

Slowly but cautiously they begin to form the stack. They wobble a few times but Mario is able to balance them. At last Toad reaches the panel in the skylight and pushes it. It comes loose without much effort.

"Here I go," announced Toad as he made the jump.

After Toad finished climbing onto the roof, he ran to the edge and looked down. Not too far to the ground, but still. He saw a vine creeping up the greenhouse and used it to slide down to the ground.

"Now what?" he thought. "The door's locked with a padlock, and- what are those over there?"

His eyes had rested on something buried in the ground. Yanking on the grass, he almost gasped as he had just uncovered a bomb.

Then he had an idea.

Turning to the door, he let fly the bomb with all his might. With a terrific bang, the bomb made contact with the door. Toad's friends were free.

"Hurry, paisanos!" Mario ordered as he, Luigi, and Toadstool raced out of the greenhouse. "To the Prose Bush! King Koopa may have gotten there already!"

* * *

They got to the Prose Bush seconds before King Koopa and his minions did.

"Hey, how'd you beat me to- YOU ESCAPED!"

"That's right, Koopa. Never mess with the Marios!"

"Yeah! We're unstoppable!" added Luigi.

"Prove it!" challenged the Koopa king as he summoned his various minions.

"Did you _have_ to get us into this mess?" Toad scowled at Luigi as the former stomped on a Goomba.

"Well, to be honest, we kinda are unstoppable. Or maybe Koopa's having another off-day. I can't quite tell."

Mario kicked a Koopa shell into a group of Hammer Bros. "Well, don't get cocky, Luigi. Watch out!"

They ducked as a Lakitu dive-bombed them.

"How are we gonna take down that Lakitu?" Toad questioned; for the Lakitu was now high above them.

"Remember when Bill Spearshaker said the Prose Bush gave him ideas?" Luigi said.

"Yes?" answered Toadstool.

"Well, it just gave me an idea!"

Taking hold of one of the Prose Bush's branches, Luigi waited for the Lakitu to swoop again, then released the branch. The branch's force was powerful enough to slap the Lakitu off of its cloud.

"Gah!" King Koopa cried in frustration. "Why didn't you throw your Spinies, you stupid Lakitu?! That's your signature move! Your best attack! Your Down Smash! Err... What did I just say?"

"Give up already?" taunted Mario.

"Oh no, I've only just begun," began Koopa. "You know, there really _is_ nothing to stop me from stealing this Prose Bush now." Grabbing the branch from Luigi, he twisted it loose from the bush with a snap. The others gasped.

"I don't have time to waste with you goodie-goodies," Koopa changed his mind. "He who koops and runs away, lives to koops another day!" He leaped down a warp pipe, and his minions followed suit. Toad tried to follow, but Mario stopped him.

"Let them go," Mario called. "We certainly haven't seen the last of them." He adjusted his cap. "We'll get them next time."

* * *

Later, at the Prose Bush, Mario and the princess had just finished tying the broken branch back onto the bush.

"There you are, Bill, good as new," Mario said, dusting his gloves.

"You know, it does look prettier with the green cloth holding the branch to the bush," Bill said. "After all, a sonnet in the mind is worth two in the bush." And everyone laughed.

"Here's to another tacky and pointless adventure!" Mario announced as the blackout circle closes.

* * *

 **Rage Before Beauty**

* * *

 _"Plumber's Log, Number 1234567890. I am too bored to write a real number, since this story doesn't seem to be really punny. So, anyway, we start with Princess Toadstool leaving for her beauty salon appointment..."_

"Bye, boys!" called the princess before she left. "Keep an eye on Koopa's camp while I'm gone, will you?"

"Sure thing, Princess," agreed Mario.

The princess headed out the door and turned in the direction of the beauty salon. It had been a while since she had gotten her hair done professionally, and she decided today was the day. Fortunately, Koopa had not made any attacks, thefts, kidnappings, or the like in the past few days. Today was a perfect day to get a beauty treatment.

Entering the salon, she was greeted by a plump Mushroomer.

"Hello, princess," the Mushroomer greeted. "My name is Peggy, and I'll be your stylist today."

It was then that Toadstool heard a muffled sound coming from further inside the salon.

"What was that?" the princess asked.

"Oh, that was just another stylist," she said. Picking up a spray bottle, she frowned. "Oh dear, I'm afraid I'm out of my special spray. Could you please come with me to get some more?"

"Why?"

"Because, uh... Because I'm a little afraid to go to the markets alone. I'm never usually in the big crowds."

"Well, in that case, I'd love to accompany you."

"Wonderful. Let's go."

* * *

Moments later, they arrived at the Mushroom Land Marketplace. The walked up to the stall that sold the ingredients.

"Excuse me, merchant," Peggy called.

The merchant turned around. He lifted the hood of his garb to reveal that he was none other than King Koopa.

The princess gasped. Her shock became even more apparent as Peggy began removing the costume she was wearing. Under the costume was a pink creature with a bow and a large snout.

"Birdo?!" she cried.

"That's right, darling," she said in her flattering voice. "I know, Size 62½ Mushroomer costumes are kind of hard to come by these days."

"But..."

"Let's go see what the king is cooking up." With that, she and King Koopa pushed Toadstool into the tent behind the stall.

* * *

"I'm getting bored, Mario," Luigi said. They had been watching the camp for almost half an hour now.

"Yeah, Mario," added Toad. "No minions have entered or left the camp while we were here."

"Maybe Koopa is elsewhere," thought Luigi.

Suddenly a thought came to Mario. "The princess is in trouble!"

"What makes you say that?" wondered Toad.

"Well, King Koopa isn't in _that_ camp, which must mean he's elsewhere. And we know he's always trying to kidnap her, which must mean that's what he's doing right now! Come on! To the beauty salon!" He ran off, with the others close behind him.

"Sometimes I can't keep up with Mario's quick mind," Luigi said to himself.

* * *

Once the three arrived at the salon, they found it deserted, except for someone tied up in a back room.

After they untied and ungagged the prisoner, they led her to one of the chairs. The noticed that her nametag read "Peggy".

"Someone disguised as me took the princess to see a merchant," she directed. "You'll find them if you hurry."

"All right, thanks!" said Mario as he and his friends ran out and toward the marketplace.

* * *

Once they entered the marketplace, they scanned it for signs of the princess.

"Aha!" Mario found something. "This must be the costume Peggy was talking about. But who could have worn it?"

"That would be me, darling."

They turned to the tent entrance and saw Birdo standing there.

"But how did you fit in that costume?" Toad asked.

"Oh, that was simple. I just used stolen pillows to expand the costume."

"Oh, just get to the point, Birdo!" came King Koopa's voice from inside the tent.

"'Scuse me! Important heroes coming through!" ordered Mario as the three brushed by Birdo and entered the tent.

"...Well, that's no way to treat a lady," Birdo sighed.

"Princess!" Mario called.

"Over here," replied the princess.

After untying the princess, the four heroes turned to King Koopa.

"What? Birdo did all the work," he shrugged.

"And you told her to," countered Mario.

"I don't have time for this." He grabbed a Magic Potion.

"But sweetie," called Birdo as she entered the tent. "You still haven't reached your minimum quota of fighting and/or fourth wall breaking."

As King Koopa punched Mario onto the ground, he said, "It's not every issue that we do those things." He stopped. "I just did those things. Come along, Birdetta, we have more kooping to do."

"I'm not a male who thinks he is a girl, but whatever you say, darling," she cooed as the two entered the door that appeared.

The last words that the plumbers heard were from Koopa:

"And after we form our next evil plan, I'll show you the new permanent base I'm building..."

"You all heard that, right?" Mario asked.

"Yes," replied the princess.

"Permanent base?" questioned Luigi.

"This means..." Toad started.

"...that King Koopa is becoming a bigger threat. Permanent bases are made for larger groups... Maybe even an army."

"Wow," was all Luigi could say.

"We need to be more careful in the future."

* * *

As the four headed home, Toadstool suddenly realized something.

"You know what? My salon date isn't until tomorrow."

"What an ironic ending," said King Koopa in the round panel on the last page of this story.

* * *

 **A/N:** And that wraps up another fantastic issue! Where did most of the fourth wall breaking go? Eh, who knows. Anyway, didn't Weasel do a fantastic job on his story? Shakespeare Land, Bill Spearshaker, the Prose Bush, and Peggy are all custom elements. I decided that having a custom land might be a nice change of pace. The title "As You Love It" is a pun on the Shakespeare play "As You Like It", and the title "Rage Before Beauty" is a pun on "Age Before Beauty". The first Plumber's Log number is the year the Globe Theater opened in London. There is no reference for the second Plumber's Log Number. Since there is dispute over Birdo's gender, I have made her female for the comic. (The eyelashes are a giveaway.) And yes, she referenced the SMB2 manual. I really like the flirtatious characteristics I gave her! Maybe she's the Mario version of Rouge the Bat...? Nah.

* * *

"Hey, paisanos," said Mario, "it's time for **Ask the Mario Characters**! Where you, the readers, get to send us questions and dares, and we'll answer them and act them... if we feel like it. Today's questions/dares are from **CatDragon123**. His first question is to Mouser."

"It's probably going to be zomething related to my zupply of bombs, isn't it?" he said.

"Yup. **Mouser, how come you never run out of bombs?** "

"How can I answer zis without mentioning programming... yes! Zis bag, which is filled with bombs, is literally bottomless. It utilizes the back pocket technique zeen in many cartoons. Zis means zat I can never run out of bombs unless the bag is destroyed."

"Interesting. Koopa, you're next. **Bowser or King Koopa, how do you be evil?** "

"It's actually very simple. I started off my life of crime with simple stealing when I was younger, and let the evilness corrupt me as I gradually began to move on to worse things, such as kidnapping, robbery, illegal minion commanding... fourth wall breaking... etc. I don't regret being evil. I actually recommend it. It's very rewarding."

"Well, _I_ don't think so," said Luigi.

"Oh, come on!" teased Wart. "Where's your sense of villainy?"

"Somewhere in Mouser's bag of bombs, I imagine... "

"Next question," announced Mario. " **Wart, why do you hate vegetables?** "

"I had once tested the rumor that kids don't like broccoli or brussels sprouts by trying them myself. I actually took damage when eating them. It took me maybe a week to recover from them. Even contact with vegetables makes me squeamish. And those nasty Subcon people use it to their advantage! I will become king of Subcon again and teach them a lesson!"

"And now for the dares! **King Koopa and Wart, fight each other to prove who is the better villain.** "

"Uh," Koopa stalled. "A fight would take too long. Let's do an analysis fight instead."

"Agreed," said Wart. "For starters, I have a palace and you don't."

"But I have many camps scattered around Mushroom Land. And they can relocate!"

"Yes, but my army is more organized than yours."

"Yeah, but mine is more varied than yours!"

"I can breathe poison bubbles!"

"And I can breathe fire!... But only in the games."

"Ha! I win!" declared Wart.

"For now," muttered King Koopa.

"Now _that_ was entertaining," pronounced Toad.

"The next dare is to me," Mario paled as he read the dare. "Can my stomach handle this?"

"What does it say?" hissed Triclyde.

" **Mario, eat 309 dishes of pasta.** "

The villains laughed. Even Luigi chuckled.

"But Mario," Toadstool said, "309 is a composite number. You usually consume a prime number of pasta dishes."

"Actually," said Mario as he was formulating a loophole, "I'll eat 309 dishes of pasta, just not all at once."

"Well, here comes your first dish!" announced McKoopa as he brought a plate of pasta to Mario. "Dig in!"

"Might as well," said Mario as he picked up his fork. "Oh, **and you can now ask questions to Birdo.** "

"That's wonderful, sweetie," Birdo said as she entered the room.

Mario began twirling his pasta. "Until next time, everybody, do the Mario!"

* * *

 **Next time:**

"We have received word that Darth Koopa is back, and plans to crush our base using a giant Koopa Walker," said Obi-Wan Toadi.

"I'm not surprised to hear this," said Mario.

"What are the capabilities of this Koopa Walker?" Princess Toadstool asked.

"We don't know. We haven't seen it in action yet," answered Obi-Wan.


	5. SMB Issue 5 (Mar 1990)

**A/N:** Hey guys, what's up? I'm finding it increasingly harder to stick to the classic style that we know from the Archie Sonic comics, so I'm going to crank things up a bit, starting with this issue. Remember the SMBSS episode "Star Koopa"? This issue is going to be the first of two parts documenting the sequels of Star Koopa reminiscent of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Like Star Koopa, they will be so different, yet so similar to the movies.

No questions this issue, but I wanted to add to my answer to SnivyLatios last issue. About the upcoming Brooklyn arc being Odyssey: I actually did not have Super Mario Odyssey in mind when I came up with it, though I'm sure you'll love the way I plan to go about it. After all, a Brooklyn arc must mean Mario's origins, right? As for Super Mario Odyssey stuff, you can expect that around Issue 336.

 _I do not own anything in this fanfic except for any original content that I come up with. Mario belongs to Nintendo, which does not endorse or affiliate itself with this fanfic. Constructive criticism is allowed, but please, no flames._

And now, on to the comic!

* * *

 **Star Koopa: The Koopas Strike Back**

* * *

 _"Plumber's Log, Number 2001-2. An emergency beacon coming from space has summoned us back to assist the Mushroomer Space Colony, which is now under the control of Obi-Wan Toadi. They are a thriving group, but they still need our help in taking on King Koopa. Now is one of those times..."_

The heroes are onboard a newly-rebuilt Flying Pizza as they head for the Mushroomer Space Colony on a distant desert planet.

"You managed to rebuild the Flying Pizza in such a short time?" Mario was amazed.

"Yes," replied Obi-Wan Toadi, who was flying the ship. "We have received word that Darth Koopa is back, and plans to crush our base using a giant Koopa Walker."

"I'm not surprised to hear this," said Mario.

"What are the capabilities of this Koopa Walker?" Princess Toadstool asked.

"We don't know. We haven't seen it in action yet," answered Obi-Wan.

They soon landed, and not a moment too soon, for they could now see the Koopa Walker far off.

"Take these Ostros," Obi-Wan gestured to the birds nearby, and may the pasta be with you all."

The four saddled up their Ostros and set out in the direction of the Koopa Walker.

"Hahahahaha!" laughed Darth Koopa, who was King Koopa's alter-ego. "Look at those miserable clowns, Mouser. Do they really think they can take down my Koopa Walker with a couple of birds?"

"I don't know, boss," cautioned Mouser. "This time I think zey're ready for us."

"Is that so?" Koopa said. "Well, let's see if they're ready for _this_!"

Pressing a button on the control panel, Darth Koopa leaned back and watched the carnage he was about to cause...

Mario's jaw dropped as a large cannon materialized below the head of the walker. It then fired an egg-like projectile at him.

"A mini Birdo Ray?!" Mario was shocked. "But I thought that Koopa retired that idea after we destroyed the Koop Star!"

He tried to dodge the egg, but it homed in on him and he was hit. Princess Toadstool and Toad tried to help, but they were also hit by homing Birdo eggs.

"That's not fair!" Toad exclaimed.

"All is fair in love and war," Darth Koopa's voice boomed from the speakers attached to the Koopa Walker. "And there is no love in this, is there?"

Since Mario was more stuck than his friends were, Princess Toadstool and Toad tried to obtain Mario's light-plunger from his belt. Once they got it, they threw it to Luigi, who was nearby.

"Help us, Luigi," said Mario solemnly as Luigi caught the light-plunger. "You're our only hope."

"May the pasta be with you, Luigi," encouraged Toadstool.

Bolstered by his friends' encouraging words, Luigi rushed forward on his Ostro. He was now out of range of the mini Birdo Ray, and fortunately, the Koopa Walker had no other weapons.

"Hey! What are you doing?" cried Koopa.

Since Luigi had a natural high-jump ability, he dismounted directly underneath the Koopa Walker, bent down, allowed his legs to charge the necessary high-jump energy, and leaped.

Luigi soared upward, his light-plunger raised. He took a mighty swing at several large exposed wires, which began sparking as soon as he sliced through them. As Luigi fell, he could see the Koopa Walker smoking. Luigi remounted and rode away as fast as he could, then turned back to watch the resulting explosion, which caused the head of the walker to fall upright. Darth Koopa and Mouser emerged from the wreckage.

"This never happened in the movie, you know!" shouted Koopa.

"Well, this isn't a movie, it's a comic!" retorted Mario. "No wait, it's a fanfic..."

"I'll be back, plumbers, stronger than ever!" Koopa shouted one last time before he and Mouser left in a space raft that was stored in the back of the walker.

* * *

"Did you find me a Starman?" asked Darth Wart through the TV screen in Darth Koopa's makeshift camp once Darth Koopa and Grand Moff Mouser returned.

"No," answered Koopa. "I was too focused on getting rid of those plumbers."

"Star first, plumbers later," demanded Wart. "Oh, and I heard your Koopa Walker was destroyed. Who did it?"

"Luigi," Koopa breathed in disgust. "I'm sending my bounty hunter after him."

"Excellent. I would have done the same. Now bring me a Starman after you capture Luigi."

"But you said-"

"Never mind what I said!"

"...Fine."

As Wart hung up, Koopa let out a deep sigh.

"McKoopa Fett!"

The bounty hunter by that name entered the room.

"I can see why they call you the best bounty hunter in my Koopa Pack, scrutinized Darth Koopa.

"Well, Mouser's better than me, so..."

"You're the only bounty hunter in my Koopa Pack," he went on. "Now let's get moving. Your bounty: Luigi!"

* * *

"It's a good thing we found you when we did," said Obi-Wan Toadi as he and Luigi worked on cleaning the egg off of Mario, Toadstool, and Toad. "This egg yolk would have hardened sooner than later – and that's no yolk."

"Ha ha," Mario laughed dryly.

"Rhoda, could out come here for a second?" Obi-Wan called. Turning to Mario, he said, "That's my maid, Rhoda. She may look like an ordinary maid, but she's more than meets the eye."

Rhoda arrived, and they finished cleaning the hardening egg mess together.

"Mario, I'd like you to learn the Pasta Power skills that Rhoda knows. They will come in handy against Darth Koopa. In the meantime, the rest of us will prepare for the feast."

"Feast?" Mario's interest was piqued.

"Yes; for the defeat of Darth Koopa earlier. He may or may not return soon, but we have Mushroomer guards stationed everywhere, so we should be safe. Enjoy your lessons, Mario Skywalker." With that, everyone except for Mario and Rhoda left the room.

"Right then, your first lesson," Rhoda began. She began to take Mario through various defensive postures. It was tiring, but they managed to get some headway.

* * *

"So there's no chance of Koopa breaking in?" Luigi wanted to make sure the party was safe as he was helping to set it up in the dining hall.

"Right," agreed Obi-Wan Toadi. "He can't even get past the first wave of security without setting off the alarm."

"I know Koopa," said Toad, "and he always finds a way to accomplish his goals."

Suddenly the wall exploded and Darth Koopa walked through the hole he made. He was flanked by Mouser, McKoopa, and several Storm Troopas. Guests screamed and ran at the sight of the Dark Lord of the Koop.

"You know, I get a kick out of this party-crashing thing," he chuckled.

"How didmyou know we were just talking about you?" asked Luigi in shock.

"Were you now?" Koopa responded. "That makes me feel kinda special. McKoopa, do your stuff!"

"Aye aye, Darth Koopa!"

He promptly fired the freeze ray at Luigi, encasing him in smooth, hard ice.

"Luigi!" cried Toadstool. But she and Toad were forced to step back by the Storm Troopas as Mouser and McKoopa picked up Luigi and carried him out the hole.

"Come on! This way!" came Obi-Wan's voice from nearby. Toadstool and Toad instinctively followed the voice, and the three ran from the Storm Troopas together.

As they ran by Mario's room, the princess had just enough time to call:

"Help me, Mario, you're my only hope!"

"I'm afraid we'll have to cut this lesson short," said Rhoda. "Good luck Mario, and may the pasta be with you!"

* * *

Toadstool, Toad, and Obi-Wan kept running. They were able to gain speed.

"Where to?" Toadstool asked.

"There's an exit right over there," Obi-Wan replied.

They just made it out the door an locked it when Obi-Wan suddenly felt a sharp pain.

"Oh... My arthritis is flaring up again... I really should take something for it."

"Maybe all this running did something," said Toadstool. "Well, don't worry; you won't have to run so much once Koopa's gone."

"I hope so..."

* * *

Mario ran into the dining hall, which was by now deserted. Dishes and silverware were scattered on the ground. Taking a deep breath, he braced himself for the coming fight.

Suddenly, he heard a light-plunger being drawn behind him.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes himself," Koopa taunted.

"I knew you'd come, Koopa!" Mario said.

Drawing his own light-plunger, he leaped forward. The duel was on.

At first, Koopa seemed to overpower Mario. That is, until Mario shouted:

"May the pasta be with me!"

He clashed light-plungers with Koopa several times.

"Obi-Wan has taught you well," remarked Koopa.

"...That sounded random," said Mario. "It was Rhoda who taught me."

"I know."

"What?"

"An insider told me."

"Who?"

"Ha! You think I'm really going to tell you every single painful gory detail of my evil plan?"

"You usually do, so go ahead."

Darth Koopa took a deep breath. "No, Mario. Rhoda is the granddaughter of Obi-Wan."

"No! Thats not true! That's impossible!"

"Search your feelings; you know that it is true! Also, the insider told me that too."

"Just tell me who this insider is!" said an exasperated Mario.

"Nah," Koopa shrugged. "Too much evil plan stuff not enough time. Might as well defeat you with the unknown. Luigi has been captured by my bounty hunters."

"I'll get him back before you know it!"

"Tough crowd... My Storm Troopas have chased your other friends away, and are probably feeding them Poison Mushrooms by now."

"They have antivenin shots."

"I'm building another Koop Star."

"Nooooooooooo!"

"Gotcha."

Darth Koopa picked up Mario, and threw him out the hole in the wall. He fell several stories and landed unharmed on top of the Flying Pizza which was parked near the base's entrance. Slowly getting up, Mario walked over to the cockpit window and inconspicuously peered in. He could see Mouser and McKoopa in the cockpit.

"Mama mia..."

Suddenly the Flying Pizza's engines roared to life. Toad, Princess Toadstool, and Obi-Wan Toadi watched in shock and horror as the Flying Pizza flew away with Mario hanging on for dear life.

"We'll get you back, boys," Toadstool said solemnly. "Just hang in there..."

 _Oh no! Luigi is captured, Mario is helpless, and Darth Koopa has practically taken over the Mushroom colonists' base! What will our heroes do now? And who is the insider Darth Koopa keeps referring to? Find out next issue, only on Super Mario Bros: The Novelized Comic!_

* * *

 **A/N:** This story's working title was simply "The Koopas Strike Back" before "Star Koopa:" was added to the beginning of the title. This is also my first story arc in SMBTNC. The Plumber's Log is 2001-2, perhaps an extension to the Plumber's Log 2001 in the original Star Koopa. In keeping with the Star Koopa theme, King Koopa is known as Darth Koopa for this arc. I also thought it would make sense to give Mouser the title of Grand Moff, and make McKoopa a bounty hunter. Additionally, I gave Obi-Wan Toadi a bigger role. It's interesting rewriting The Empire Strikes Back with a living Obi-Wan. He also assumes the role of Lando Calrissian. Rhoda is obviously Yoda; I thought it might be an interesting twist to this adaption. If you're wondering where Triclyde was, don't worry. He'll appear next issue.

* * *

"Mama mia," said Mario, "it looks like we don't have any questions to answer this issue! But that's okay. Just send us your questions via the author's PM, and please follow the rules stated in Issue 1. Until next time, everybody, do the Mario!"

* * *

 **Next time:**

"There it is," announced Obi-Wan. "The second Koop Star."

"And it's more powerful than ever before."

Suddenly an alarm went off.

"One of our facilities has been hijacked!" shouted Obi-Wan.


	6. SMB Issue 6 (Apr 1990)

**A/N:** Hey guys, what's up? This issue we conclude the Star Koopa adventure with an adaption of "Return of the Jedi". Also, there won't be any more "Next Time" segments after Ask the Mario Characters. Spoilers, you know. Not much else to say here, so let's cut to the chase:

* * *

 _ **SnivyLatios:**_ _I read the last chapter some hours ago, but due to some circumstances during the time, I didn't had the time to write my review. So here I am, writing one for both chapters._

 _I am in joy, because it's good to know that you are trying to fit the other games in relation with the Mario fandom in the story of yours. More action, story and plot will transpire, especially with some new of my favorite characters! :D_

 _That's all I can basically say for Chapter IV, though. Except the fact that it's good and you should keep it up. Go Stardown! *cheers*_

 _Now for Chapter V.. Yes, indeed. Brooklyn is indeed Mario and Luigi's origin, so the idea of Super Mario Odyssey was implented in my head because it can relate with the event I stated at hand. I can understand why it's going to be in Issue 331 (or wherever issue number you stated). The game hasn't to be released yet, so we don't know much of the story plot until a few weeks time. Though if you are going to write Yoshi's Island's plot into this, I wonder how are you going to imply the story of Mario and Luigi's origin from Brookyln with the Yoshi's Island games. since it is going to be included for this story, as the two events shares the tale and childhood of how the two hero brothers used to live and grew up into the people they became to be. We saw the two Mario and Luigi as babies in the games, including Partners In Time, live in the Mushroom Galaxy as infants, so I don't really know how to insert the story of them from Brooklyn into the tale. I'm just telling this "if" now, so you can take this note in consideration when you get to that part._

 _Once again, one more question about the games included in the story. Will there be Mario and the gang meeting Sonic at the Olympic Games, since there is a few official games for that series (2008, 2010, 2012, 2014 and the newest one 2016)? I know it's a long ways before we get to that but since I am only sure on "only Mario fandom" thing so I don't want to mistake including Olympic Games by accident._

 _Although I'm not that knowledgeable on this new fandom, "Star Wars" in the story of Mario sounds fascinating to me! There was a few moments I enjoyed, inevitably the "may the pasta be with you" parts. I can't help but share a little giggle at this line for humorous reasons. XD_

 _That's all for this review, be sure to don't rush and write the story at your own pace! Farewell for now!_

 _~SnivyLatios (aka Akira)"_

 **I've already planned out how Mario and Luigi will exist in both Brooklyn and the Mushroom Kingdom. While I will have a Brooklyn arc soon, not all the answers will be revealed there. As for Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, I've got plans for a promotional issue for the first installment, as well as an explanation during the comic for why there isn't a Mario & Sonic at the Pyeongcheng 2018 Winter Olympic Games. May the pasta be with you! :D**

* * *

 _ **animegamefanatic**_ _: Poor boys._

 _What do bounty hunters want with Luigi!? is it just to get to Mario and to make him furious? good Luck Princess and co._

 **I'd say that's why they want Luigi. Besides, he managed to destroy the Koopa Walker where Mario couldn't, so that may also be a factor. Good luck indeed, Princess and Co.**

* * *

 _I do not own anything in this fanfic except for any original content that I come up with. Mario belongs to Nintendo, which does not endorse or affiliate itself with this fanfic. Constructive criticism is allowed, but please, no flames._

And now, on to the comic!

* * *

 **Star Koopa: Return of the Plumbers**

* * *

 _"Plumber's Log, Number 2001-3. As I strain to see past the opening crawl blowing past my face, I am hanging on to the Flying Pizza for dear life. My brother is a captive on board, and I believe we are headed toward a building in the middle of nowhere... Listen, don't ask me how I'm writing this, because this isn't a plot point, okay?"_

Meanwhile, Toadstool and Toad were preparing to fly to the building.

"You will need these for encouragement," Obi-Wan Toadi said, handing pizza boxes to both of them as they climbed into their Mushroom Fighters. "May the pasta be with you both."

Later, the two landed behind a sand dune near the building. Climbing out of their crafts, they looked around. No one was in sight. They cautiously approached the building, and were able to enter it unnoticed.

"So far so good," the princess whispered as they crept on.

Suddenly they were ambushed. McKoopa Fett appeared from nowhere and grabbed Toad. He somehow managed to not see Toadstool.

She peered around the next corner and saw Luigi, still frozen in ice. She also saw Clawgrip on a raised platform. Fortunately, he was asleep. Toadstool had to act now.

She grabbed a heat ray that was hanging on the wall next to her, she carefully aimed at Luigi. Now or never. She fired, freeing Luigi, but the noise from the ray was just loud enough to rouse Clawgrip. He snapped his claws loudly, which brought Mouser, Triclyde, and McKoopa running. McKoopa was still holding onto Toad. The Koopa Pack began backing Toadstool and Luigi into a corner. The situation seemed hopeless.

Suddenly, a red and blue figure leaped into the room, landing on Clawgrip.

"Mario!" Toadstool cried in relief.

"Have a taste of pasta power, Koopa Pack!" Mario challenged, drawing his light-plunger and holding it high above his head. The Koopa Pack scattered as Mario drew nearer. McKoopa released his grasp on Toad.

"Let's get out of here!" Mario shouted, leading the others toward the exit.

"The front door's locked!" he said a moment later. "This way!" Soon they were out the back door, and not a moment too soon, for the Koopa Pack had just taken up the chase.

"Whoa! What is that?" Luigi pointed ahead. There was a massive sinkhole right in front of them, and an equally massive Piranha Plant inside it.

Princess Toadstool was able to assess the situation in almost the blink of an eye. "Guys, hold on to my hand. We can float over this."

"Are you sure we won't be too heavy for you, Princess?" asked Toad.

Toadstool winked at him. "Trust me."

Mario held her hand, Luigi held Mario's and Toad held Luigi's, and Toadstool took a mighty leap into the air above the pit. But instead of falling, they were floating above the pit. The Piranha Plant tried to bite at Toad, but missed.

They reached the other side of the pit, and look back to see the Koopa Pack charging at them. But they did not see the sinkhole in time. They slid in, and were eaten by the Piranha Plant, which promptly spat them high into the air and out of sight.

"That was impressive," Luigi said as he watched the Koopa Pack sailing away.

"You can say that again," added Toad.

"Well, our work here is done," Mario said, dusting his gloves. "Let's head back to the colony."

So Toadstool and Toad headed to the vehicles they came in, and Mario and Luigi to the Flying Pizza, and they took off for the colony.

* * *

Later, the Mario gang arrived safely at the colony, and found Obi-Wan Toadi, Rhoda, and several other Mushroomers in the control room.

"Bad news," Obi-Wan said, rising from his command seat. "Your hunch is correct, Mario. Koopa _is_ working on a second Koop Star.

"What?!" exclaimed Luigi.

"Seriously?!" exclaimed Toad.

"No kidding!" added Toadstool.

Regaining her composure, Toadstool asked, "Did you get a reading on its position?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan replied. "It's orbiting the planet and will be in range in 45 minutes."

Something had been bugging Mario for a little while now. Was Obi-Wan really Rhoda's grandfather? He decided to walk over to Rhoda and ask this question.

"Yes," she answered him. "He took me in when my parents died."

"Heyheyheyhey!" butt in Luigi from the other side of the room. "We're only six issues into this comic, and we're _already_ having death and family members?"

"Now _everybody_ knows about the fourth wall?!" exclaimed Toad.

"Never mind that," said Mario.

"You need to be very careful, Mario," warned Rhoda. "Darth Koopa has become a bigger threat than we have imagined."

"Don't worry," Mario reassured her. "We won't give up until we've defeated that Koopa once and for all."

Suddenly an alarm went off. A Mushroomer checked one of the monitors.

"A pizza shop in the northwestern quadrant has been hijacked," he reported. "I believe it's in conjunction with the Koop Star."

Obi-Wan's sharp mind quickly assessed the situation.

"Mario, Luigi, Toad, take care of the pizza shop. The maps along the walls will help you out. Mushroomers, suit up. We're going to take down the Koop Star. The princess and I will lead the missions from here."

"Let's-a go!" exclaimed Mario as he, Luigi, and Toad left the room en route to the pizza shop.

* * *

A few minutes later, Mario, Luigi, and Toad reached the pizza shop.

"Looks like the door was left open," noted Mario. But as they approached it, it slammed shut in front of them. The click of a lock could be heard.

"Now that was nasty!" fumed Toad.

Then they saw a familiar figure laughing at them through a horizontal slit in the door before the slit closed.

"Fryguy!" Mario identified the figure. "I was wondering when we'd see him next."

"He's certainly up to no good," said Luigi.

"Which means we need to stop him. Is there anything here we can use as a battering ram?"

"Nope," Toad said. "We'll just have to ram the door ourselves."

* * *

Inside the pizza shop, Fryguy and several Storm Troopas were listening to Mario and his friends ramming themselves against the door.

"Listen to them," Fryguy said." They think they can get in. Not today! In just 37 minutes, King Koopa is coming to destroy the Mushroom colonists' base!"

"And what about us?" asked one of the Storm Troopas."

"Oh, we'll be out of here long before then!"

In his excitement, Fryguy began pacing the room. "Right then, you two, move some of these crates of pizza boxes in front of the door. You three, check the monitors, and you two..." he paused for dramatic effect, "...launch the shield."

"Yes sir!" the Storm Troopas said in unison.

The tasks were completed, and soon, a massive beam was emitted from the pizza shop. It struck the Koop Star, forming a protective shield around it. The Mushroom Fighters approaching it were forced to steer away to avoid crashing into the shield.

"Our mission is complete!" Fryguy gloated. "Now nothing will stop us from-"

"Let's pour on the pasta power!" came Mario's voice from outside.

"Uh-oh," said Fryguy.

Suddenly, the door came crashing down and Mario, Luigi, and Toad stood before Fryguy, striking heroic poses.

"Gah! How did you get in here?!" he cried in shock. "Never mind! I'm going to prevent you from shutting down the shield!" He then started breathing fireballs in rapid succession at the heroes. They leap in separate directions.

Suddenly Darth Koopa appeared in the doorway and grabbed Mario, who was nearby. Luigi and Toad didn't notice; they were too busy battling Fryguy and the Storm Troopas.

Kind Koopa then reached behind him and grabbed a Magic Potion from seemingly nowhere before throwing it into the doorway. A new door appeared.

Mario was baffled as he turned to Koopa. "How did you even get here, and how many potions do you have?"

Koopa smirked. "Enough. Oh, and I was here ever since I threw you out the window."

"Wait... If you're here... then who's operating the Koop Star?"

"That's why I'm here."

He walked closer to Mario. Checking his pockets, he produced a Starman.

"Oh, now you'll _really_ want to come with me."

Mario took a moment to make his choice. "Fine," he said. "But how will I know this is not a trap?"

"Do my sincere looks tell you I'm not lying?"

"Who are you kidding, Koopa? We all know you're never sincere or truthful."

"Just come with me!" He ushered Mario through the open door. "After you."

* * *

"Fryguy just isn't letting up!" exclaimed Luigi as he dodged another fireball.

"Hey, where's Mario?" Toad had finally realized that Mario was missing.

"He's safe with Koopa," replied Fryguy matter-of-factly.

Now Luigi was in big trouble. It was just Toad and himself against one of their lesser, yet more dangerous, foes, and he doesn't usually fight without Mario.

Suddenly it hit him: What would Mario do? An idea quickly came to him.

"Toad, keep the enemies at bay! I've got a plan!"

"Right!"

Luigi picked up a garden hose that was lying on the floor, then ran over to the sink and connected the hose.

"Now open the back door!"

Luigi points the hose at Fryguy.

"When in doubt... flush it out!"

He turned on the water and watched as a stream of cold water shot from the hose and hit Fryguy squarely in the back, sending him through the door. The Storm Troopas, being the brainless soldiers that they are, followed him through. Toad shut the door, and he and Luigi high-fived.

"That was amazing!" Toad exclaimed. "Mario would be so proud!"

"I can't wait to tell him when he returns!" Luigi replied. "There's the shield switch!"

Together, Luigi and Toad pulled the lever and deactivated the switch.

* * *

In the control room of the colonist's base, the crew watched on the monitor as the shield faded from the Koop Star.

"Shield's down!" Princess Toadstool directed the attack squadron over the radio. "Attack the Koop Star with everything you've got!"

* * *

A door appeared in the control room on board the Koop Star, and Mario and Darth Koopa emerged from it. Mario was surprised to see Darth Wart in the control room.

"So Koopa," Mario began, "Are you really under Wart's control?"

Koopa hesitated before answering. "Yes and no..."

"What's the yes?"

"Well... I owe him a Starman. Fortunately, Mario, you have one."

"Yes!" cackled Wart. "I will be able to use that Starman to become the invincible emperor of the cosmos!"

"No!" Mario was not one to lose his temper, but this was something he just couldn't bear. He drew his light-plunger. Koopa drew his.

* * *

Luigi and Toad ran into the base's control room.

"Princess! Obi-Wan!" LuigI breathlessly called. "You gotta call off the attack force!"

"King Koopa took Mario to the Koop Star!" added Toad.

"I'm sorry," Princess Toadstool said, "but it's too late for that."

"The fighters are flying down the trench," added Obi-Wan Toadi, "and there's no turning back now.

* * *

The duel was on aboard the second Koop Star. Mario's uppercut was skillfully blocked by Koopa, who returned a side swing, which Mario blocked. Then Mario made an unexpected move.

"May the pasta be with me."

Using one of the moves Rhoda taught him, he executed a backflip, rebounded off the wall behind him, and took a mighty swing, knocking Koopa's light-plunger from his grasp. It deactivated upon hitting the ground.

"What? How?" Koopa stuttered.

"You may have defeated my precious minion, Mario, but you now have _me_ to reckon with!"

Taking a deep breath, he blew a deadly stream of poison bubbles at Mario, catching him off guard and knocking him to the ground. Bubble after bubble struck him as Mario struggled to get up.

"Minon?" said Darth Koopa to himself.

* * *

The Mushroomer pilots reached the end of the trench, and located the shaft that led to the Koop Star's core. Storm Troopa fighters were hot on their tails as the Mushroomers flew down the shaft.

* * *

Mario was unable to avoid the poisonous bubbles that were hitting him all over.

"Koopa... Help me!"

Something snapped in Koopa's brain at that moment.

"I am no longer yours to command, Wart!" he shouted, approaching him. "I don't know what made you decide to become emperor of the galaxy instead of me, but that is not happening!"

He picked up Wart, who was still breathing bubbles in his wrath, carried him over to a nearby portal shaft, and dropped him in.

"Nooooooo! I can't go back to Subcon Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-"

Wart's voice was cut off as he fell through the portal that took him back to Subcon Land. Koopa dusted his claws as he turned to Mario.

"Now," he said, "where were we?"

* * *

The colonists watched the monitor as the Mushroom Fighters flew into the core.

"Any minute now..." Rhoda breathed.

* * *

Before Koopa could do anything, an alarm went off aboard the second Koop Star.

"Make way for your king!" he screeched, running for the nearest escape pod. He failed to notice a trash can escape pod that Mario just climbed into. All the other escape pods were being taken by Storm Troopas He finally spotted an unoccupied escape raft, and climbed in. At this point, the Mushroomers threw a Bob-omb at the core, setting off a terrific explosion, The raft was swept off the Koop Star and into space.

"I'll be back, Mario!" he shouted.

* * *

Mario's escape pod launched just before the Koop Star exploded.

"At least this escape pod has seat belts," he said, buckling up.

His escape pod fell toward the Mushroom colonist's base. Minutes later, it landed roughly, and finally skidded to a halt in front of his friends who had gathered outside.

When Mario stepped out of the escape pod, his friends noticed how battered he was. He even looked d a little pale.

"Mario!" Luigi exclaimed. "Are you all right?"

"Never better!" Mario said, accepting and eating the Mushroom that Rhoda offered him, which restored his health. "I guess we can all say that's one small escape pod for a Mario, one giant Koop Star for Koopa!" Everyone laughed at this pointless pun like they usually do at the end of an episode.

* * *

Meanwhile, Koopa's raft crash-landed somewhere in the desert. Fortunately for him, McKoopa, Mouser, Triclyde, and Fryguy were not too far away, and they tended to him. McKoopa started to laugh at Koopa's battered and torn armor.

"Stop laughing!" he shouted, tearing off the armor. "We need to come up with a new evil plan, pronto!"

"And what are you thinking?" asked Triclyde.

"We'll talk about that between issues," Koopa said as he and his walked off into the sunset.

"Wait a minute!" he yelled in realization a moment later. "Which sunset? This Tattooine ripoff has TWO suns!"

"Let's just cut to ze end of ze issue before zis fourth wall zing gets out of hand," Mouser said.

"Agreed," said Fryguy.

* * *

 _And that concludes the Star Koopa sequel arc! Mario and his friends have said goodbye to Obi-Wan Toadi and Mario's new friend Rhoda, and have returned home to Mushroom Land. But what could King Koopa be up to? Find out next time, in "Back to Brooklyn"!_

* * *

A/N: About time Fryguy appeared in the comic, eh? As you could probably tell, he played the head of the shield generator room. As this is a Star Koopa-like adventure, I omitted a few scenes, such as the Rancor pit. I didn't want Rhoda to feel like an unnecessary character, so I had Mario execute one of the moves she taught him. Maybe she'll appear in another story later... In this story, I wanted to improve my character development, personalities, and relationships with each other; Luigi and Toad was a good start."

* * *

Hey, paisanos," said Mario, "it's time for **Ask the Mario Characters!** Where you, the readers, get to send us questions and dares, and we'll answer them and act them... if we feel like it. Today we have questions from _three_ different users! We'll start with **CatDragon123**. **Mckoopa, how, out of all the koopas, did Bowser choose you.** "

"I may be dumb like the rest of the Koopas-"

"Ha! You admit it!" crowed King Koopa.

"-but King Koopa acknowledged me when I came the closest of any Koopa to defeating Mario. I poisoned his spaghetti, and he almost didn't realize it. He managed to defeat me afterward."

"Like I always do," said a smug Mario. Next question: **Toad, are you wearing a mushroom cap or do you have a mushroom on your head.** "

"It's a cap. I've taken it off numerous times during my TV run."

"And now his dare: Bowser, eat a fire flower and see what it does, since you already blow fire."

"Since I'm based on the cartoon me, I don't breath fire, but here goes."

He promptly consumed a Fire Flower he pickpocketed from Mario, and immediately spewed fireballs all over the place. Everyone ducked or scrambled out of the way.

"That. Was. Awesome!" he exclaimed. "I gotta do that again sometime!"

"Oh, please, no," moaned Luigi.

"Our next batch of questions and dares comes from **SnivyLatios**! The first question is for me. **Italian Pasta or Princess Toadstool's Cake? No loopholes allowed!** D'oh! He knew!"

"I saw it coming," Toadstool said. "Loopholes aren't recommended with Q&As."

"Difficult dilemma we have here. Pasta or cake? Pasta or cake? Oh, I know! Pasta, _then_ cake!"

"No loopholes!" scolded Toad.

"Fine then... Pasta," he chose. "Next question is for some of our story's royalty, King Wart: **Get hit by either a fruit or a vegetable? And this time, I didn't forget. Pick one only, and seriously, no loopholes! I'd wager Mario saw through one!** Mama mia, I might as well stop using loopholes!"

"Yes!" exclaimed Wart. "He recognized my authority aga-"

He was cut off when Luigi threw a banana at him.

"Ouch!" he exclaimed. "I hate fruit almost as much as I hate vegetables! And you didn't let me choose! I choose fruit."

"Because it hurts less?" taunted Luigi, who was brandishing another banana.

"No! No more!" cried Wart. "Wait, am I acting out of character?"

"Hmm... Maybe?" wondered Mario. "Next question is for Luigi." He looked Luigi in the eye. " **How big is your fear of losing your own brother? Can you strive another day without Mario? Can you hold the responsbility to save the kingdom from Koopa? Can you?** "

Luigi couldn't hold back his feelings. "No!" he cried. "I can't live without my big bro! I can do a lot of things without him, but I can't live without him. He needs me just as much as I need him!"

"Luigi, don't worry. I'm not going to abandon you." he comforted Luigi."

"P-promise?"

"Promise. And now, the dares." There was a symbol of a speaker with a red slash through it next to the first dare; this was the mute symbol, which meant that the dare wasn't to be read out loud. The first dare read: " **To everyone except Luigi: Play a prank on Luigi, about Mario leaving him. (Yes, this is not the T rating, I know. But there's another that can be sequenced, even with a K+..)** "

"Oh, I just remembered," began Mario, "there's a portal that leads back to Brooklyn. I'll catch it if I hurry." He started to get up and leave the room."

"Yes," replied Birdo, "but it disappears in three minutes."

"And zere's only room for one," added Mouser.

"Thanks for reminding me, guys! It's been great knowing you, Luigi! Bye!"

He dashed from the room.

"No! Mario! Take me with youuuuuu!"

He ran after Mario but fell onto his knees.

"...That was a dare, right?"

The others nodded and tried their hardest to suppress their laughter.

"Stop playing with my emotions, SnivyLatios!" Luigi practically screamed as Mario returned to the room.

"Just kidding!" he beamed as he returned to his seat. "That was a dare."

"That wasn't funny!" he shouted. Then he muttered, "I'm gonna get you back one of these days..."

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," said Mario as he picked up the paper. The next dare also had a mute symbol. It read: " **To King Bows- *coughs* King Koopa: Supply King Wart a fake Starman without him knowing.** "

King Koopa beamed, hiding his face from Wart. "Uh... hey, I'm sorry about what happened on the Koop Star. To make up for it, here's the Starman you wanted."

He gave Wart what looked like a Starman.

"Yes," he breathed. "Oh, yes, I've always wanted one of these." But when he used its power, it had the same effect as collecting a coin.

"What?" he was shocked. "Koopa?! Some nerve you have, giving me a fake Starman. I guess I owe you something as well!"

"Lots of revenge threats spreading around, paisanos! The next dare is to everyone! **Make something for yourself to eat. Learn the arts of being a chef. It may help you in some situations. No one can help, this must purely be from you. Make what you know, a fruit salad can suffice!** "

Three hours later, Mario and Luigi had each made different pasta dishes, Toadstool made a large cake, Koopa made buffalo wings (since when did buffalo have wings?) with spicy sauce, Toad made mushroom bread, and the others made dishes that I'm too lazy to put down.

"Loophole!" declared Toad. "And princess, How did you bake a cake, let it cool, _and_ frost it in _just_ three hours? Let alone a _large_ one?"

"That's not a plot point," she replied.

"Nice fourth wall breaking!" complimented King Koopa. "That reminds me of the time when Lord Crump addressed the player!"

"...Who's Lord Crump?" asked Luigi.

"And what player are you talking about?" said Toad.

"Oh... You guys aren't there yet. Oh well, fourteen years and 150-ish issues at best until we get there!"

"Which reminds me," said Mario, "Our last question, which is from **AlphaWeasel** , is directed to you, Koopa. " **Is it possible for you to last an entire issue without breaking the forth wall once?** "

"I would say no, just to be on the safe side."

"And that concludes Ask the Mario Characters! Readers, you can send in your questions via PM, and now **you can ask questions to Fryguy**! Until next time, everybody, do the Mario!"


	7. SMB Issue 7 (May 1990)

**A/N:** Hey guys, what's up? I'm beginning to feel more like a comic book writer now, because almost every time I look at a Mario elements, I think of how it might function in this story. That might come in handy some time...

Also, I've just now noticed an error: Merto, the King of Subcon (see Issue 2), does not appear in a game until 1996. I may want to reintroduce him later to compensate for this error.

* * *

 _ **SnivyLatios:**_ _Good to know you're all planned for the origins of the Mario Bros! :)_

 _And it's understandable why you wouldn't be doing the 2018 Winter Olympic Games anytime soon. It hasn't been released yet and the official game is yet to be up for views._

 _Anyway, about this chapter, there isn't much to say execpt that the Star Wars arc is finished, and that you've done a good job writing the issues so far. I like the fourth wall breaking moments during the chapters, it makes the chapters more interesting :D_

 _That's all I suppose for this review. Keep it up! :) The Q/A and dares will be PMed soon. (Oh, and make sure to address me by Akira in informal moments by the way, Mario characters!)_

 _~SnivyLatios (or Akira), your friendly reviewer_

 **You'll be glad to know I'm planning a backstory for Princess Toadstool in the near future as well. ;)**

 **As for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, I don't think that's going to be released. Most likely it has something to do with North Korea. And that's no good.**

 **Also, I'm glad you enjoyed the arc! The next arc, hopefully, is going to be even better!**

 **As for your name, I think I'll call you SnivyLatios when replying to reviews, and Akira elsewhere. How does that sound?**

* * *

 _I do not own anything in this fanfic except for any original content that I come up with. Mario belongs to Nintendo, which does not endorse or affiliate itself with this fanfic. Constructive criticism is allowed, but please, no flames._

And now, on to the comic!

* * *

Back to Brooklyn, Part 1

* * *

 _"Plumber's Log, Number MBP. I know that wasn't technically a number per say, but who pays attention to details around here? Not this guy! Anyways, my friends and I are enjoying a walk together. If I say anything more, I'll spoil the adventure..."_

On their walk, Mario noticed a large, beautiful castle in the distance. It was pink and white, with tall towers, a red roof, and a painting of Princess Toadstool above the entrance.

"Wow..." was all Mario could say.

"It's so beautiful," Luigi breathed.

"Is it yours, Princess?" Mario asked.

Princess Toadstool had a faraway look in her eyes. "It _was_ mine."

Mario was intrigued. "Was?"

Toadstool took a moment to regain her composure. "Before you two came here-" she referenced the Mario Brothers "-I used to live in that castle. But a war broke out with King Koopa. We won, but at the cost of the castle. We couldn't keep it, and we had to leave." She sighed. "If there was a way we could get it back."

"Maybe we could help!" piped up Luigi.

"Unfortunately, it's not that simple," she stated. "The castle is closed to the public, and the Mushroom Government won't give it back without one thing."

"And what is that thing, Princess?" asked Luigi.

But she did not answer. She and Toad were watching Mario, who was staring at a massive pipe in the distance.

"Whoa," Luigi said as he joined them.

"Do they even make wrenches for pipes that size?" Toad wondered.

Mario's curiosity overtook him as he gazed at the pipe. "I wonder where it goes," he said before approaching the pipe.

"Mario! Be careful!" Toadstool called after him.

"I'm coming with you!" Luigi ran after him.

"And what about you, Toad?" Toadstool looked to her faithful ward.

"I'll stay with you, Princess. You need the protection."

They waved goodbye as Mario and Luigi climbed the blocks that led to the pipe and disappeared down the dark metal cylinder of the pipe. Little did the princess and Toad know that King Koopa was watching them from behind a bush.

"Those plumber fools don't even know what's in store for them," he snickered. "I sent Mouser through the pipe ahead of them to dipose of them as soon as they get through. Then, with the plumbers gone – and they are – that leaves the princess ripe for the picking!"

* * *

Mario and Luigi had been walking through the pipe for five minute when they saw a smaller corridor to the side.

"I think we should keep going down the pipe," said Mario.

"Are you sure? I think this smaller pipe is safer," countered Luigi.

"Why do you think that?"

"Because the main pipe could be more dangerous."

"Good point."

They headed down the smaller pipe, which then began to slope upward. They emerged through the drain of a bathtub.

"Wow," breathed Mario. "Such memories... I remember we were sucked down this drain when trying to fix the plumbing."

"That was a long time ago," added Luigi.

They left the bathroom, headed downstairs, and out the door onto the streets. There were people everywhere, as usual. Mario and Luigi saw a few familiar figures, such as Alligator Dundee and the Imperial Poobah. Then they ran into another figure.

"So I see you finally returned to Brooklyn," it said.

"Salvador Drainado?" exclaimed Mario as he recognized the figure.

"Yep, that would be me," he replied, being just as egotistic as ever. "So tell me, how did you return to Brooklyn?

"Call me crazy, but we came here through a giant drain pipe in the sky."

"After spending thirteen years in your land, I'd believe anything now," he said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to get to the Brooklyn Plumber's Academy meeting I'm hosting." With that, he went on his way.

"It's nice to see a few old faces once in a while, isn't it, Luigi?"

"Yeah. Hey, why don't we visit our old Mario Brothers Plumbing building?"

"Great idea!"

As the brothers took off running for their old workplace, a figure who was watching them slowly crept away.

* * *

Meanwhile, Toad and Princess Toadstool were on their way back home.

"Think we should pull off another last-minute rescue like we did last time?" asked Toad.

"I don't think that will be necessary," answered the princess. "Mario and Luigi said they wouldn't take long."

They opened the door to their home and walked in.

"It's a good thing we and the Mario Brothers all live together now," Toadstool said. "But I still miss my castle."

"Don't worry, Princess," reassured Toad, "we'll do whatever we can to help."

"Ah, thank you, Toad," said Toadstool. "I can't help but wonder if the Mario Brothers are in trouble. But I'm sure they'll be fine." After checking the calendar, she stated, "We won't need to head out for the rest of the day."

The Goomba crouched underneath the windowsill rushed away into the setting sun. He had heard everything!

* * *

The Mario Brothers Plumbing building was just as they had left it. There were empty pizza boxes everywhere. A spare pair of unwashed overalls was draped over one of the chairs at the table. And it was a wonder that the plumbers' most recent Plumber of the Year trophy wasn't stolen.

Folding the "Gone Out" notice that he had taped to the front door before leaving for Mushroom Land, Mario looked around. "This is nostalgia, Luigi."

"Yeah," he agreed. "In fact, it makes me a little homesick for Brooklyn. And seeing Salvador earlier... Now I really want to come back here!"

"Don't worry, Luigi," answered Mario. "There will be other opportunies to return here."

Suddenly there was a scream from outside the building.

* * *

"Boss! Boss!" called the Goomba as he ran into King Koopa's camp.

"I'm a little busy here," mumbled Koopa as he was poring over some old Mushroom Land maps. He looked up a moment later. "You had something to report?"

"The princess and Toad aren't going to leave their house today! And they're not suspicious about your plan! We can kidnap them easily!"

"Kidnapping is too cliché," said Koopa as he rose from his seat. Grabbing a tuxedo, he began to put it on. "I'm going to put them under house arrest."

"But why are you dressing up?" asked the Goomba as King Koopa adjusted his bow tie.

Koopa turned to the Goomba. "If I'm going to meet the royal Mushroom Land princess face to face in her own house, I want to look my best." Donning his top hat over his crown, he strode out of the tent. "Come on, army! We march on the princess' house tonight! And by tonight, I mean right now!"

* * *

Mario and Luigi had run three blocks until they saw the source of the scream.

"Pauline!" cried Mario in shock.

Mario and Luigi had arrived at a six-story building under construction along the Hudson River. He could see Pauline being held by a figure standing on one of the third-story girders. Another figure stood nearby.

"Donkey Kong!" groaned Mario in disgust as he saw Pauline's captor.

"And Mouser?" gaped Luigi as he eyed the other figure.

"Where _were_ you all these years?" called Pauline from Donkey Kong's grasp. "I tried calling you, and even left messages on your answering machine, but you never answered. Did your plumbing job take you somewhere new?"

"Beyond your wildest dreams," answered Mario. He wasn't quite ready to divulge Mushroom Land to her quite yet.

"Who's Donkey Kong?" asked Luigi.

"He's the ape holding my girlfriend Pauline," answered Mario. "A few years ago, when you were on vacation in Italy, I agreed to take care of Brooklyn's plumbing until you returned. Well, Donkey Kong escaped from a circus that came to town, and ended up kidnapping Pauline, but I managed to get her back."

"Wow," said Luigi. "So how are you and Pauline getting along now?"

"Oh, we're getting along," Mario replied nonchalantly.

"Are you done with your chit-chat?" Mouser called. "Good. As your smart brains have probably figured out, your girlfriend is being held by zis... eh... Donkey whatchamacallit."

"Kong. Donkey Kong," corrected Mario.

"Whatever. As I don't have time for grammatical lessons, I'll get straight to ze point. I hypnotized zis here ape with zis pendulum, and had him kidnap your girlfriend. If you want her back, I suggest you pay me 15,000 coins _and_ let me have this building."

"What?!" exclaimed the plumbers. This was insane! Coins were a Mushroom Land currency, which means they would have to return to Mushroom Land to earn coins. Besides, if they worked average jobs on a daily basis, it would take them two years to earn 15,000 coins! And besides, Mario couldn't leave Pauline captured for that long. And who knew what Mouser could do with this building!

"Well, plumbers? Do we have a deal?"

Mario clenched his teeth. No way would he let Mouser – no, King Koopa – get away with this!

* * *

It had only been twenty minutes since Mario and Luigi left through the giant pipe in the sky, but to Princess Toadstool, it felt like hours. She was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling, when she became aware of a movement outside the window. She looked out the window, and held back a cry when she saw several dozen enemies outside. All servants of King Koopa, she deducted.

She ran from the room to tell Toad, but he too was riveted to a window.

Suddenly there was a splintering crash as the front door was broken down and King Koopa himself, dressed to impress, entered the room. Several minions, including Goombas, Koopas, Hammer Bros, and Paratroopas, swarmed in and cornered Toadstool and Toad. Koopa walked over to them, grinning evilly from ear to ear.

"In the name of the future Koopa Kingdom, Princess, I place you under Koopa house arrest."

 _Cornered by the King of Koopa's himself! A dangerous dilemma for Mario! Is there any hope for the princess? And will Mario be able to stop Mouser before it's too late? Come back next time for the thrilling conclusion to_ _ **Back to Brooklyn**_ _!_

* * *

 **A/N:** It's cliffhanger time again! How are our heroes going to get out of this situation? Or situations, rather. I had a lot of references to past games and media. Alligator Dundee and the Imperial Poobah are both from the live-action segments of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, as is the Mario Brothers Plumbing building. Salvador Drainado is from the episode "Brooklyn Bound", and the giant warp pipe in the sky is from The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3. Toad's quote "Do they even make wrenches for pipes that size?" is a reference to a quote from the Super Mario Adventures comic. Donkey Kong and Pauline appear, thus adapting the Donkey Kong game (with Mouser). I wanted to work on a Mario and Pauline relationship that's different from the Mario and Peach relationship. Yes, I know that Pauline calls herself Mario's "1-up Girl", but it's still WAY too early in the comic for that. (Someone please get Jump Up, Super Star out of my head!)

* * *

"Hey, paisanos," said Mario, "it's time for **Ask the Mario Characters**! Where you, the readers, get to send us questions and dares, and we'll answer them and act them... if we feel like it. Today's questions are from **SnivyLatios** , better known as **Akira**. Oh! According to this envelope, Luigi is to read the Q&D's.

He passes the envelope to Luigi, who opens it and clears his throat before beginning.

"This says that the Loophole Police are set up outside this room. They are an elite police force who, if the detect a loophole, will ban that person for one issue. Now, the first question is for everyone: **Do you like pranks? Share an experience with everyone with a prank you have experienced in your past, whether you made it or became the victim of it.** "

"Yeah, so my favorite prank was when I convinced Luigi that I was going to abandon him forever-"

"That wasn't a prank, Mario, that was a _dare_. Anything else?"

"Well... there was that time I hid a golf ball among your meatballs in your spaghetti..."

"Aaaand my teeth hurt for a few hours after that."

The others shared their pranks. (Shameless loophole! Disclaimer: The Loophole Police failed to notice this)

"Next question," announced Luigi. " **Air-conditioners or fans? Once again, no loopholes allowed!** "

"Air conditioners!" announced King Koopa. "I'm not a fan of fans, since they take up all my sockets in a really hot day.

"But I like fans, darling," cooed Birdo.

"Are you kidding?" said Fryguy. "They really put me out!"

"Don't make our author set up a Pun Police as well!" threatened Koopa.

"Well. About time you cracked a fourth-wall joke in this issue, Koopa," sassed Mario.

"Now's not the time for that!" retorted Koopa.

The others gave their answers. (This time the Loophole Police stirred, but did nothing. Akira DID say "everyone", after all.)

"Next question is for King Koopa and King Wart!" said Luigi. **On a scale from 0 to 10, how would you rate the villain schemes made by Koopa (for Wart) / Wart (King Koopa)?** "

"Two out of ten!" answered Koopa automatically. "Starmen are all he cares about, and he blew Mario out the window when he could have searched his pockets. Besides, he went insane last issue, believing that one Starman would make him emperor of the galaxy, and he even treated me as his servant!"

"Regardless of his rashness," Wart said, "I give Koopa a respectable seven out of ten. "While he has failed to get me a Starman, which I _will_ get one one of these days, he has shown great resilience, which I am too lazy to have. However, I was _this_ close to being emperor of the cosmos, but he decided to throw me into the portal that leads to that dreaded Subcon Land!"

"Ha! That means I win!" crowed Koopa.

"Don't make Akira make us have a rematch," warned Wart.

"Ooh! Here are the dares!" Luigi said.

"Please, no vegetables..." whimpered Wart.

"This one's for me and Mario. **Have a brotherly lightsaber fight. May the pasta be with you!** "

He drew his light-plunger. "May the pasta be with me!"

"Oh no, I left mine back at home," panicked Mario.

"Then use mine." King Koopa offered his light-plunger to Mario, who took it and drew it. "But just make sure you lose for me!"

The brothers traded blows for a few moments. Mario seemed to have the upper hand at first, but Luigi dealt Mario a sudden blow on the left leg with his blade. They pit away their light-plunger.

"Looks like the pasta was with you, Luigi," congratulated Mario. "Great job."

"Aw, it was nothing," blushed Luigi. "Next dare is for Wart! **Make the others feel how it is like getting vegetables thrown on you.** "

"Yes. Oh yes." Wart tried to suppress a cackle. "I've put up with vegetables being thrown at me for too long now. Even fruits are a pain! Now it is your turn to suffer what I've gone through." With that, he pressed a button on a remote, and a portal appeared on the ceiling. Vegetables of numerous descriptions rained on everyone. They hit everyone but Toadstool, who deflected them with a parasol she brought along, and Fryguy, who simply burned them.

"Did I forget to mention they're fresh from the nursery? They're still wet from being watered."

"Did you say WET?! I hate wet!" shouted Fryguy. "I refuse to burn wet vegetables!"

"L-Let's move on before this gets more awkward," Luigi said as the portal closed. The next dare is for everyone. **Everyone must give someone a dare. That's all to it.** "

"Mario, unclog my toilet," automatically challenged King Koopa.

"No. I don't serve your kind here."

"Koopa, put on deodorant for once," dared Toadstool.

"Fiiiiiiiine..."

"Triclyde, sing a three-part harmony," said Birdo.

He did so. Let's just say they weren't professional.

And the dares flew. (The Loophole Police were alert now.)

"And the last dare... is a mute dare." He read it to himself. " **Everyone must help Luigi prank Mario after the last events. The objective is to play with Mario's emotions about Luigi. Let's see how much Mario cares for Luigi..** "

There was a whispered conversation among everyone. Mario couldn't catch a word anyone was saying.

"Oh, Mario, you'll be glad to know that Princess Toadstool has accepted my proposal," snickered Luigi. "We'll be married in two months. I know the royal life is too much work for a plumber, so why don't you go back to Brooklyn?" He strode out of the room, arm in arm with Toadstool.

"L-L-Luigi!" shrieked Mario. "You would abandon me AND steal my princess?! What kind of jerk are you?!"

Luigi momentarily stuck his head back in. "How many kinds are there?"

"Wait, this is the dare, right?"

"Lucky guess," said Luigi as he and Toadstool walked back in.

"Of course I didn't mean all those nasty thins about you," Mario apologized. "You were just getting back a me for last time, and I admit, you were good."

Suddenly the Loophole Police entered the room.

"What part of 'everyone' did you not understand?" demanded the lead Mushroomer officer. "And why are there vegetables everywhere? Wait, are they organic?"

"Yes," answered Wart."

"After I haul you all away for all those loopholes, I think I'll sample those fruits and veggies."

"Until next time, everybody," Mario declared as he was was dragged away with the others, "do the Mario!"

...

And no, it's not impossible to drag a 600-pound turtle king or a being made of fire.


	8. SMB Issue 8 (Jun 1990)

**A/N:** Hey guys, what's up? Sorry if this is late; I'm hooked into viewing awesome Sonic art on DeviantArt. I don't have an account there, though. :(

On the bright side, I am now open for betareading requests! If you have a story you would like me to betaread, just PM it to me and I'll see what I can do. ;)

On the even brighter side, this is my third chapter this month I'm on a roll! :D

* * *

 _ **animegamefanatic:**_ _I have a feeling Pauline's gonna break up with Mario...but on good terms and just be friends..._

 _Though the bros may wanna hurry to save the princess! Cause I have a feeling he's gonna give her an ultimanium for her freedom_

 **Just keep reading to find out!**

* * *

 _I do not own anything in this fanfic except for any original content that I come up with. Mario belongs to Nintendo, which does not endorse or affiliate itself with this fanfic. Constructive criticism is allowed, but please, no flames._

And now, on to the comic!

* * *

 **Back to Brooklyn, Part 2**

* * *

 _"Plumber's Log, Number MBP (1). I actually had enough common sense to add a number to my otherwise bland entry "number". Anyway, Luigi and I were checking out a massive pipe in the sky that took us back to our hometown Brooklyn. But now is not the time to enjoy the sights, because my girlfriend has run into some monkey business! As for Princess Toadstool and Toad... What happened to them?"_

The princess and Toad were backed into a corner, with minions of different sepecies menacing them. Escape seemed hopeless. King Koopa stood there, arms folded.

"Poor princess," he taunted. "The Mario Brothers have no idea that you're in my power, just like _they're_ in my power right now."

"What?!" Toadstool was astonished.

"The circumstances couldn't be any better to set my evil plan in motion," he laughed.

"Weren't we just under a house arrest like seven issues ago?" questioned Toad.

"Oh, I'm not interested in numbers," said Koopa. "Last time you escaped only because I had two Hammer Bros. This time, it's me, myself, and I, as well as a whole bunch of troops. There's no way you can escape this time."

"Oh really?" she countered as she looked behind her. There was a window there, and various minions crowded around just outside it.

She had an idea.

"Super boost!" she called, before picking up Toad and boosting him out the window. "Go find help!" she added as Toad sailed above the heads of the minions and hit the ground running.

"After him!" he could hear an angry King Koopa roar from inside the house. The minions gave chase, but couldn't catch up. He pulled a face at them before jumping into a pipe.

* * *

"Ze lady or ze building?" Mouser taunted Mario and Luigi as they looked on. He gave Donkey Kong the signal to climb the building. The plumbers could only watch as the ape climbed the steel girders like... well... an ape.

"We can't just stand around!" realized Mario. "Let's get them!"

"Yeah!" agreed Luigi as they began to leap up the girders.

"Not so fast," said Mouser. After pulling a few round objects from his bomb bag, he tossed them onto various girders before nimbly following Donkey Kong to the top of the building.

"What did he just throw?" asked Luigi.

"I don't know, but we need to keep moving," replied his brother.

"Zat's right, keep moving, because zere's no turning back!" snickered Mouser. He pulled a Bob-omb out of his bag, and threw it at an oil drum near the base of the building. A tremendous explosion ensued, and flames were licking the base of the building.

"Now zere's no turning back, plumbers!" laughed Mouser. "You've made your bed. Now lie in it!"

Already the fire started ascending up the building. The plumbers choked on the smoke, which urged them to climb faster.

Then Mario got sidetracked by an object on the ground. "Is this a hammer?" he wondered, picking it up. "Now I won't be defenseless against-"

"Mario! I'm stuck!"

Turning around, he saw that Luigi was on the girder below him, and he had stepped on one of the cement pies that Mouser threw.

"I'm coming, Luigi!" Mario called as he leaped down to Luigi's girder. The fire was right below them.

"It's no use, Mario," shouted Mouser as Mario attempted to pull Luigi loose. "Ze flames will be upon you faster zan you can cry uncle!"

* * *

Panting, Toad emerged from the pipe and ran toward Mushroom Village. Even though the princess lived in that village, he decided to take the pipe to another part of the village, so that either King Koopa nor his minions would see him.

Entering the village, Toad gathered his courage, then shouted, "Everyone! King Koopa has captured the princess!"

"Is this true?" asked a villager.

"Yes!" exclaimed Toad. "I just escaped from her house to tell you."

Other villagers came out of their houses and saw Toad. He had an honest and determined look on his face.

"All right, everyone," he rallied, "Let's stop King Koopa!"

"YEAH!"

The resounding echo reverberated through the village. The Mushroomers were ready to take down the Koopa king.

* * *

The flames were growing ever nearer, and Mario only had moments to spare before the flames reached their girder. He walked over to Luigi. "Luigi, can you move your leg?"

Luigi attempted this but no positive results came. "I can't. It's as if the pie is magnetized to the girder."

Mario bent down and tried to lift the pie, but he couldn't even get it an inch off the girder.

As he stood up, he then realized something. He had his hammer! Taking it out of his tool pouch, he held it in both hands.

"Brace yourself, Luigi."

Luigi shut his eyes tightly. Then came the sound of shattering concrete. After he opened his eyes, the pie no longer had his foot in bondage. Mario was just putting away his hammer.

"Thank you-"

"Climb now, thank me later!" ordered Mario, for the flames were just reaching their girder. They began to climb like mad. Mouser kept a watchful eye on them as the plumbers leaped from girder to girder. Pauline struggled in Donkey Kong's grasp.

"You'll never get away with this, rodent."

"Oh?" Mouser grinned. "I'm already getting away with it. Actually, zis victory is for King Koopa."

"Who's King Koopa?" demanded Pauline.

"Long story short, he's my boss," Mouser shrugged.

Their conversation was cut short by the sudden arrival of the Mario Brothers on their platfform.

"All zis running and jumping must have made you hungry." Mouser dug through his bag. "Here, have some bombs!"

"No thanks!" Mario answered as he swung his hammet into a bomb that Mouser threw. "I have a strict diet that doesn't include explosives!"

The bomb exploded prematurely. The resulting noise startled everyone, particularly Donkey Kong, who suddenly dropped Pauline. She landed safely on the platform.

"Did you _have_ to do that right in our ears, Mario?" said an annoyed Pauline.

Mario shrugged. "To be honest, I couldn't have done it anywhere else."

"I have more bombs where that one came from!" sneered Mouser as he reached into his bag again.

Mario looked down. The fire was getting closer. Then a look of relief spread across his face. The Hudson River was flowing right next to the building. The perfect escape route.

"Luigi, Pauline, take my hands," Mario directed. They obeyed, but didn't go unnoticed by Mouser.

"Leaving so soon?" said Mouser as he watched the three about to jump together. "But we haven't even begun to play. Oh well. Get them, So-and-So Kong!"

"One, two, three, JUMP!" Mario, Luigi, and Pauline leaped as far and as high as they could. "That's _Donkey_ Kong!" corrected Mario as he fell.

"I couldn't care less," Mouser shouted back.

That was when he heard sirens. The fire crews were coming.

"Took you long enough," he muttered as he took Donkey Kong's hand and jumped into the Hudson River.

* * *

From his perch at Plumber's Academy, Salvador Drainado watched as Mario, his friends, and his enemies jumped into the Hudson River.

"So they're having a wild pool party," he said to himself as he sipped his coffee, "and they didn't invite me. Well, I suppose Mario is going to return to the Mushroom Kingdom now. After all, he didn't want to leave there when I did. As far as I'm concerned, I'm not going back there. It's too dangerous and crazy for me. And I can't afford running into that Koopa guy again."

* * *

Mario, Luigi, and Pauline surfaced a safe distance from the fire.

"You're safe now, Pauline," assured Mario as they came ashore. "Hey, I've been wondering, do you want to come to Mushroom Land with us?"

"Mario, I've got a house, a good-paying job, a car, a life, and you want me to come live with you?" As an afterthought, she said, "I'll think about it. I'll give you my answer next time you swing by here."

"All right, then. Goodbye, Pauline!" the brothers waved as they ran off toward a drain pipe.

* * *

Toad led the way to the princess' house. The villagers looked like they were ready for anything. Halting the villagers, Toad peeked around the corner of a house. There were more minions outside the princess' house than he remembers , but none of that mattered now. He had come too far to turn back.

* * *

"Guess what time it is, princess."

"Time for you to let me go, you Koopa creep!" demanded Princess Toadstool.

"Nice try. Note to self, princess: A king is higher in the chain of authority than a princess. Actually, it's interrogation time! Won't this be fun!"

"Give me your best shot, Koopa."

"Oh, I will. First question: Will you let me have your castle?"

The princess tried to hold back her anger. "Of course not! If you want a castle, build your own!"

"I _am_ building a castle, princess. It's just that I don't want to keep relocating from camp to camp after I humiliatingly lose to you every single episode and issue."

"And you won't win today, either."

"Question Two: Where's Mario? I already know the answer to this one, but still."

"Knowing him, he's on his way right now."

"But until then, I have this whole house for myself! You there!" he pointed to a Goomba. "Make the princess' bed to my liking! I don't care if you don't have hands. You there!" he pointed to a Hammer Bro. "Move my King Koopa's Kool Kartoons gear into the princess' room! And I'll see what she has for me to eat!" He began to rummage through the fridge.

Suddenly the princess brightened as she saw Toad leap through the window, brandishing a plunger.

"Eat plunger, turtleneck!"

* * *

After running half a mile down the pipe, suddenly, Mario and Luigi ran into some monsters.

"Mario!" Luigi called. "Don't these enemies look familiar?"

"Yes. These are the Shellcreepers, the Sidesteppers, and the Fighter Flies. They're King Koopa's rejected minion species. But I wonder how they found their way to the Real World?"

"Never mind that, Mario. Let's get them!"

"You said it!"

Soon the plumbers were ridding the sewers of these various monsters.

"Mario! More are coming!"

"Look what I found, Luigi." Mario dragged a POW Block out of a corner. Let's hit it together and clean their clocks, and the sewers!"

After tossing the block into the air, both plumbers jumped and struck the block with their fists. A shockwave rippled through the room, eliminating all enemies from the vicinity. The brothers high-fived.

"That was easier than I thought, Mario."

"Unfortunately, King Koopa will never be this easy, Luigi. Speaking of Koopa, he may be causing mischief already!"

Mario and Luigi raced off down the pipe, on they're way back to Mushroom Land.

* * *

Mario and Luigi made a beeline for home. They found that their suspicions were correct. Minions were surrounding the house. But what astonished them was that the villagers were engaging them in battle. In fact, the minions were so busy that they left the front door unguarded.

"Now's our chance!" realized Mario. They made a mad dash for the front door.

They threw open the door, and everyone in the house turned to the plumbers.

"Toad?!" cried an astonished Mario. "What are you-"

"I've got this, Mario!" He dealt Koopa a blow on the head with the plunger. The latter cowered back, then turned to the door.

"You haven't seen the last of me!" he crowed as he shoved the Mario Brothers aside on his way out. "Retreat! Retreat!" he ordered his minions. Soon they were out of sight.

"That was a fun adventure," remarked Mario.

"Well, I didn't think so," said Toadstool.

"I actually defeated Koopa in hand-to-hand combat!" exclaimed Toad.

"So tell me," the princess changed the subject, "what did you see in Brooklyn?"

"Well," Mario began, "we met our old friend, Salvador Drainado..."

"Really?" Toadstool's interest was piqued.

"And we returned to Mario Brothers Plumbing..." added Luigi.

And they continued telling their stories, but we should probably cut this short, because I don't want to see the princess' reaction to finding the filming gear for King Koopa's Kool Kartoons still in her room, or finding that her bed is unmade, or that her fridge is half empty (pessimist!).

 _And that concludes Back to Brooklyn! What is King Koopa up to? Is he really building a new castle? Will we see Pauline again? And what about Salvador? Come back next time for all new adventures of Super Mario Bros: The Novelized Comic!_

* * *

 **A/N:** That was an amazing arc, wasn't it? It's filled with references to various Mario things back in the day, but I'll leave it to you to find them all. I know I'm not supposed to have Mouser's "Here, have some bombs!" quote until 2001 or so, but I couldn't help it. I also considered a "Jump Up, Super Star" reference, but decided against it because it's just simply too early. The Plumber's Log is a last minute addition."

* * *

"Mama mia," said Mario, "it looks like we don't have any questions to answer this issue! But that's okay. Just send us your questions via the author's PM, and please follow the rules stated in Issue 1. Until next time, everybody, do the Mario!"


	9. SMB Issue 9 (Jul 1990)

**A/N:** Hey guys, what's up? Just letting you know, this issue will be in the style of Issues 1-4, and will be the last issue in this format. Starting next issue, we'll get to the serious stuff. This is also the last issue to have the Plumber's Logs; they were good for this time period, but I don't see them working for the future issues. I may bring them back for something else, though.

While I do not take requests, you may always send me friendly suggestions that I might use for future issues! I'd like your input for one feature: _What should the origins of Metal Mario and Pink Gold Peach be?_ I have several ideas for them, but can't decide. I think their origin stories should be different from each other.

* * *

 _ **animegamefanatic:**_ _I have a feeling that DK maybe a valuable ally later and that Pauline may break up with Mario, but still be his friend._

 **The possibility of this is very likely. While I do not usually give spoilers for upcoming issues, I can say that Pauline will appear again soon, but Donkey Kong sooner.**

* * *

 _ **SnivyLatios (Akira):**_ _Things get even more interesting, as I get to know you have a backstory for Peach! And yeah, things are going on between North Korea and the world right now, so I (again) understand why and respect your choice._

 _For the subject about my name, I can go with that, although soon as I might start one of the stories I write (yes, I write! :D) on Wattpad to .net, I might change my name from SnivyLatios to AkiraStar_SL, following the name I use on Wattpad. I'll possibly change my username to that when I finally get to access .net by normal terms (and finally learn what this beta-read thing is) so standby by then! :)_

 _Now, let's get into the story. Honestly, I expected the Brooklyn arc early, but not early as this! :o I guess the fact that the Brooklyn thing was during the old times, so yeah, explanation I guess. Anyway, we've had a lot on (y)our plate for the last two chapters. All I can say once again is good job! You've done well. :D_

 _By the way, shouldn't you be adding Pauline and Donkey Kong to Ask/Dare the Mario Characters session, now that they are introduced? :) xD_

 _Keep it up, take your time!_

 _~Akira, your loyal reader and reviewer_

 **Yes, Pauline, and Donkey Kong have been added to ask/dare. I will also announce it again in its section.**

 **If you thought Issues 7 and 8 were good, you should see what's up ahead! :D**

* * *

 _I do not own anything in this fanfic except for any original content that I come up with. Mario belongs to Nintendo, which does not endorse or affiliate itself with this fanfic. Constructive criticism is allowed, but please, no flames._

And now, on to the comic!

* * *

 **Bat-Koopa**

* * *

 _"Plumber's Log, Number 19-66. Luigi and I are weeding our garden. Now, as you probably know, weeding gardens is hard, excruciating work. Not much else to say here..."_

Suddenly, a cry arose from not far away.

"Help! My diamonds!"

"That's Aunt Harriet Koopa's voice! Let's go!" called Mario as they instinctively put down their tools and ran off in the direction of the cry. But they were met with an all too familiar sight.

King Koopa was driving past them in his KoopCycle.

"Sorry I can't chat, boys, but I've got a diamond bracelet to get back to my hideout!"

As he roared away in the distance, the brothers saw something that made them do a double take.

"Was that..."

"Yes, Luigi, it was."

"But what is the Hooded Robin doing in Koopa's sidecar?" Luigi asked.

"No doubt he's a prisoner," said a grave Mario. "Now before we defeat Koopa again, we need to make sure Aunt Harriet's all right."

* * *

They fouand the old, frail Koopa shaking after her robbery.

"Are you all right," asked Mario.

"I'll be fine," she said slowly, leaning on her cane. "But I can't believe I've been robbed by Bat-Koopa, the Koop Crusader!"

"Don't worry, ma'am, we'll get your bracelet back for you," reassured Luigi.

"Oh, thank you, young man," Aunt Harriet's eyes brightened. Then she remembered something. "I overheard him say something about a cave hideout."

"Thanks! C'mon, Luigi, we have a Koopa to stop!"

"And don't forget Hooded Robin!" added Luigi.

"Right!"

* * *

Meanwhile, in King Bat-Koopa's Koop-Cave, Koopa and the Koopa Pack, were examining the stolen bracelet.

"This is priceless!" guffawed the Koopa king. "Deals like these are so good they should be illegal!"

"It _is_ illegal, your Koop-ness," said the dim-witted McKoopa.

Ignoring him, Triclyde slithered next to Koopa for a closer look. "I guess you could say we got this at a _steal_ of a deal!"

"Stealing is illegal, too," butt in McKoopa.

Koopa whirled on him and sent him to the ground with one blow. "Of _course_ it's illegal! We're bad guys, remember? Did you seriously forget my lecture to you when we were looking for the Lost Mushroom?!"

 _*As seen in the TV show!_

"I'm sorry to interrupt," interrupted the Hooded Robin from the cage in the corner that confined him, "but when may I be freed?"

"I'll think about it," shrugged Koopa.

Just then, Birdo entered the cave. Upon seeing the bracelet, she squealed. "Ooh, darling, where'd you find that precious-"

"I stole it from a little old lady," Koopa cut her off. "But don't touch! It's my prized possession!" He paused a moment. "But since you're my best mercenary, I'll let you have it."

"Oh, thank you, darling!" she exclaimed as she slipped on the bracelet. "Oh, look! It even matches my eyes!"

"Of course it does," Koopa tried to hold back a grin. "But now to business!"

"You let me go this instant!" demanded the Hooded Robin, imitating Mario's voice.

"Oh, isn't that cute," cooed Birdo as she walked up to the bird's cage. "Didn't I ever tell you that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery?"

"Release the bird, Koopa!" came Mario's voice from the entrance of the cave. All eyes turned to see Mario standing there in a fighting stance, with Luigi next to him.

"Once a jailbird, always a jailbird!" retorted Koopa. "Wait a minute. The author didn't show enough of you in this chapter. You're supposed to make a wild deduction like those Caped Crusaders on TV and _then_ come and find us."

"My wild deduction is that we will win, you will surrender and hand us the diamond bracelet and the Hooded Robin, and we all live happily ever after. And by 'us', I mean the good guys!"

"Yeah, you won't win, Lizard Lips!" challenged Luigi.

"Oh yeah?" snarled Koopa. "Koopa Pack, attack!"

"How many times have you used that quote during your tenure so far?" asked Mario, hoping to get Koopa sidetracked.

"A good couple dozen," he replied, "at least on TV and in this story. In real life, I would say... 396."

"That's a number to beat," quipped Luigi as he dodged an egg fired by Birdo.

"And that's not all," King Koopa went on. "My 'He who koops and runs away' quote was quoted about 127 times so far."

Mario kicked McKoopa's shell at the other enemies, then turned to the viewer. "Kids, don't believe anything Koopa says, even his bogus numbers!"

Together, Mario and Luigi leaped into the air and gave Koopa a mighty stomp that sent him to the ground.

"Gah! I surrender!" he cried.

"Say those magical words again for our readers?" said Mario.

"I've got no time for fourth wall nonsense!" he bellowed. "I'm out of here! Birdo, free the bird. Mouser, get my Warp Potion."

Mouser fished it out of his sack and handed it to his boss.

"Someone's gotta wonder why we never drink these things," he muttered as he threw the vial at the wall, causing a Warp Door to appear. "Say it with me, everyone-"

"He who koops and runs away, lives to koop another day!" he and his minions chorused as they ran through the door before it vanished.

"They got away, Mario!" exclaimed Luigi as he turned back to Mario.

"Let them go," said Mario solemnly. "Since they _will_ 'koop' another day, this gives us another opportunity to defeat them."

"You're right, Mario," Luigi said as he gave another look to where the Warp Door had been moments before.

"Now let's return the bracelet!" said Mario as he, Luigi, and the Hooded Robin left the cave.

* * *

"How could I ever thank you enough?" said an overjoyed Aunt Harriet Koopa.

"That is most definitely a job well done," added the Hooded Robin.

Suddenly Mario froze. "I just realized something!"

"What is it, Mario?" wondered Luigi.

"This story was too short! There has to be a longer story in this issue!"

"Hopefully one that's focused on me," answered the Hooded Robin, imitating Luigi. "Or me," he added in King Koopa's voice as everyone (yes, everyone, including the readers) burst into laughter.

* * *

 **Fryguy Heist**

* * *

 _"Koopa's Log, Number 1. After that lame ending in the previous story, I, your future leader King Koopa, took the liberty of taking over this slot for this story. I don't think Mario will notice... So anyway, my minions and I have Mario and his so-called 'friends' on the run. We will catch them!"_

"Hurry, Mario!" called Princess Toadstool as she and her friends ran from King Koopa and his minions. Mario had fallen behind trying to distract Koopa from the trail.

"Coming, Princess!"

He caught up with the rest of them and they kept running.

"Why don't we make our last stand here and give them what for?" said Toad.

"There are too many of them," panted Mario. "He brought the whole gang - Hammer Bros, Lakitus, Snifits - he's even brought along Pansers!"

"I thought Pansers couldn't run fast," wondered Toadstool.

"No, but they're being airlifted by Paratroopas!" noticed Luigi.

"Guys, over here! There's a forest!" Mario called.

"Great work, Mario!" exclaimed the princess as the four entered the forest.

As they ran, Luigi looked behind him. Koopa and his minions were gaining on them.

"Uh... Mario?" he said fearfully. "They're gaining on us."

"The caption box said that like two paragraphs ago," sassed Toad.

"Guys!" interjected Princess Toadstool. "Stop ruining our precious fourth wall!"

Mario dropped behind the gang and grabbed a low tree branch. As King Koopa drew nearer, he let go of the branch, whipping it into the Koopa king and knocking him to the ground. His minions turned to aid him.

"Don't just stand there!" he shouted as he sat up, rubbing his sore shell. "Get them!"

But the minions just blinked at him.

"Oh yeah, the magic words..." he realized. "Koopa Pack, attack!"

But Mario and friends were just disappearing down a pipe which disappeared in front of their eyes.

Enraged, Koopa stood up and faced his minions.

"You all need discipline," he shouted. "It's time I taught you the proper way to deal with Mario."

* * *

Later, Koopa was in a classroom with the rest of his minions. He demonstrated to a diagram on the chalkboard.

"...Number 37: Pillage the village, and when he comes, ensnare him in a net! Number 38: Flood his house, and when he returns, ambush him! Number 39-"

But he was interrupted when Fryguy entered the classroom.

"Do you mind telling me why you took over Fryguy High?" he questioned Koopa.

Koopa frowned. "Look, it's just a plot point. It's all perfectly normal. If you want to go bug someone, I highly recommend Mario. IGN rates him 9/10. Polygon gives him five stars. I don't care about ratings, just go bug him!"

Fryguy then left the room, muttering, "Plot point, my foot... or lack thereof..."

* * *

Meanwhile, Mario and friends emerged in another part of Mushroom Land.

"That was a close one," breathed Mario.

"I hope we don't have to go through that again," said Luigi.

"We'll have to," countered Toadstool, "if we want to defeat Koopa."

Suddenly, they became aware of the figure of Fryguy approaching them.

"You need to help me," he begged. "King Koopa has taken over Fryguy High."

Mario was skeptical. "You work with Koopa. Why should we believe you?"

"Hundreds of Mushroomers are enrolled there."

"And?"

"And Fryguy High is the second largest high school behind Mushroom High."

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

As the gang ran in the direction of the school, Luigi faced the reader. "Good old Mario, always leaping before he looks... most of the time."

* * *

"...Now, his mustache means bad luck to himself if he wins! His red overalls means he has a thick skull both ways. Yes, _red_ overalls. It's not time for blue yet. But together, we can overcome-"

"The world's best plumbers?" Mario finished the sentence as he and his team broke down the door.

"Gah!" Koopa was taken off guard. "Looks like we have a pop quiz! Koopa Pack, attack!"

"Uh, excuse me," objected a Koopa Troopa. "The Koopa Pack refers to Mouser, Triclyde, and McKoopa most of the time."

"Why do you pay attention to tiny details like that?!" roared Koopa. "Koopa Fill-In-The-Blank, attack! Whoa, that doesn't roll off the tongue well..."

"Let's go, gang!" Mario encouraged the others as they ran at Koopa's minions.

A Hammer Bro approached the group. He chose his target, and soon had Luigi cornered. Taking a hammer out from behind his back, he hurled it at Luigi.

"Never underestimate the lesser of two brothers!" he exclaimed, kicking it away. It landed in a group of Goombas, earning Luigi a 1-Up.

"Who said you were lesser, Luigi?" said Mario as he stomped on the Hammer Bro. "You're doing great!"

Meanwhile, Princess Toadstool was engaged by a Koopa Troopa that was charging at her. She casually jumped on it, then sent its shell at several Flurries, Panzers, and other enemies, earning the team more 1-ups.

Koopa shrugged. "Don't you hate it when I design traps with infinite 1-up tricks?"

Toad leaped at a Bob-omb and grabbed it. The Bob-omb immediately began to flash, meaning that Toad had to act fast. He turned and threw it at a platoon of Shy Guys. The resulting explosion was loud, but not quite deafening.

"Hey! No bombs in class!" King Koopa shouted. "I'm going to have to send you all to the principal's office! Oh wait, I am the principal..."

By this point, all the enemies were defeated, and Mario ran forward and landed the final hit on King Koopa.

"Oomph!" He hit the ground. When he sat up, Fryguy was approaching him.

"As a villain, I understand theft and kidnappings, but taking over my school... You've gone too far this time."

"W-what do you mean?"

"You've betrayed your own minion. I quit."

He turned around and was just about to leave the room, when he heard Koopa mutter, "Good luck getting back to Subcon."

Fryguy turned back to him. "Who needs Subcon? Wart is far from worthy for a boss. And you blew it. I'm going to be my own villain." With that, he left the room.

"I really blew it this time," complained Koopa as he stood up. He pulled a Warp Potion from his shell. "We're leaving this school. I always knew Fryguy was too hot for me.

King Koopa threw the potion at the wall and leaped through. His minions followed, and the door disappeared.

"Well... that was interesting," noted Toadstool.

"One less minion for us to deal with," said Luigi.

"I think we all did a great job!" said Mario.

The team exchanged high-fives before leaving the school.

* * *

"What? No final joke?" said a curious Fryguy from the school's lobby.

"No, sorry," said Mario. "We're trying to set the tone for the issues to come. Though I do admit, this issue has been a bit... loony. Our author can explain things much better than we can."

With that, Mario and friends left Fryguy High.

 _...Did Mario just hint at something? I swear he can see us through the page, or screen, depending on which way you readers see it. Anyway, join us next time for our first-ever four-part story arc,_ _ **The Koopalings**_ _!_

* * *

 **A/N:** And that concludes Issue 9! Bat-Koopa is an obvious play on Batman, and inspired by the 1966 TV series. The first Plumber's Log is 19-66, which is also a nod to the series. Even though I could have used a KoopMobile, I decided to the preexisting custom element from Issue 1, the KoopCycle. Aunt Harriet Koopa is an obvious reference to Aunt Harriet Cooper, which may or may not hint at the fact that there are good Koopas out there as well. I also wanted to have a captive, and I decided on the Hooded Robin from the Super Mario Bros. Super Show!. I was originally going to have the Hooded Robin as an accomplice of King Koopa, by changed him to a prisoner later on. I also decided to have Koopa take over the Plumber's Log just for fun. Fryguy High is an element from the Nintendo Comics System comic "Fry Guy High". Even though the comic had multiple Fryguys, there will be only one Fryguy for this story.

* * *

"Hey, paisanos," said Mario, "it's time for **Ask the Mario Characters**! Where you, the readers, get to send us questions and dares, and we'll answer them and act them... if we feel like it.

"'If we feel like it'..." mused King Koopa. "More like 'whether we like it or not!'"

"Oh, come on, Koopa, it's not that bad!" reassured Toadstool.

"Fine then. Bring it on, Mario."

Mario cleared his throat before starting. "All of this issue's questions are from our regular reader **Akira**. His first question is for everyone. And this might actually stump you. **AB + B = BA. A and B are both single-digit numbers. Figure out what A and B is. Say, A is 1 and B is 2. It will be 12 + 2 = 21, which is not the correct answer. The first person to get the answer right gets bragging rights.** "

"What?! They're giving us a _quiz_ now?!" cried a shocked Triclyde.

"But Professor Layton doesn't come out for another eighteen years in America!" protested Koopa.

"Guys, guys. Let's just solve the math to get to the _real_ questions," said Luigi.

All was quiet in the room for a few minutes until Toad announced his answer.

"A = 8 and B = 9, so therefore 89 + 9 = 98."

"It looks like you're correct, Toad!" praised Mario.

"See, Koopa?" bragged Toad. "Even the smallest and weakest of good guys can be smarter than you!"

"Weakest?" questioned Koopa. "Didn't the stats in Super Mario Bros. 2 show that you were the strongest?"

"At lifting vegetables and the like, yes."

"All right, next question," announced Mario. "Princess, **Before Mario and Luigi came, how long was the fight between you and King Koopa went on?** "

"Those weren't happy times..." sighed the princess, "The war went on for only two months. But it was two months too long. More on this will be revealed in the upcoming issues."

"And I totally defeated you back then!" crowed King Koopa. "With both hands and both feet tied behind my back!"

"Ouch," Luigi shuddered at the thought.

"And already, sooner than expected, we're at the dares!" Mario announced. "Looks like there's a statement here. "All right, everyone, who do you think should read it?"

Everyone gave their votes. Princess Toadstool got the most votes, so she took the paper and read it.

"Everyone, this says that you all are to say Yes or No within five seconds."

Most of those in the room said Yes, but Koopa was one of those who said No.

"For those of you who said No," continued Toadstool, "choose any person in the room. That person will assign you a dare."

Snickers spread through the room.

"All right, zen," chuckled Mouser. "Koopa, I dare you to tie both hands and both feet behind your back."

"I didn't mean it literally!" complained Koopa. "But fine. Guys, someone help tie me up. (I can't believe I'm doing this...)"

No one in the room had not said Yes or No. If anyone chose the loophole and didn't say Yes or No, then he or she would have to either choose two people to dare him once for each person, or choose one person to dare him twice. Additionally, as Princess Toadstool had immunity for this part, as she was the one reading the paper, she could not dare or be dared.

Other dares were cast, but the dare on King Koopa was the highlight.

"Can't... move..."

Laughter echoed through the room as Mario faced the camera.

"I forgot to mention this last time, but **Donkey Kong and Pauline are now available to ask questions to!** Yes, if you're wondering, we're capturing this moment on tape! When we're through, this is so going on America's Funniest Home Videos. Until next time, everybody, do the Mario!


	10. SMB Issue 10 (Aug 1990)

**A/N:** Hey guys, what's up? We're about to start the big-time, four-part stories, starting this issue! I'm going to try to emulate the style of Ken Penders up through Issue 200, but that may be difficult, as I seem to lean toward my own style, and I've read more Ian Flynn Sonic comics than Ken Penders comics. (And yes, I'm hyped that Sonic's returning with IDW in 2018!)

* * *

 _I do not own anything in this fanfic except for any original content that I come up with. Mario belongs to Nintendo, which does not endorse or affiliate itself with this fanfic. Constructive criticism is allowed, but please, no flames._

And now, on to the comic!

* * *

 **The Koopalings, Part 1: Here Come the Koopalings!**

* * *

King Koopa slammed his fist down on the desk he was sitting at, his immense strength causing it to crack in half. "You failed again, lousy buffoons! Why can't you capture Mario and his friends?! Didn't Fryguy High teach you _anything_?!"*

 _*As seen last issue!_

"Uh, we tried, boss," a Koopa started.

"We almost got him," said a Hammer Bro.

"Tried! Almost! That's not enough!" ranted Koopa as he rose from his seat and paced the room. "You see, I've trained you ever single day to capture them. You've succeeded the training, but when it comes to the real deal, you're utter failures!"

"It won't happen again, sir," apologized a Shy Guy.

"That's right. It won't happen again, because I'm going to make you all mop my camp!"

"What?!" a Goomba was in shock.

"Please! Give us another chance!" begged a Koopa.

"You had your chance!" said Koopa. "It's someone else's turn now."

As the minions grabbed their mops, Koopa pondered his next move. "And that someone else, or rather, _they_ , have _never_ failed a mission before. With this kind of help, my chances of nabbing that plumber have increased... _sevenfold_!"

* * *

Princess Toadstool's castle was truly a sight to behold. It had towers, a red roof, a moat, and an image of Mushroom Land's own princess over the doorway. The castle was surrounded by lush grass and tall trees.

Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool, and Toad were soaking in the sight. The princess, however, had a slight hint of sadness in her eyes.

"If only there was a way to get it back," she sighed.

"What's stopping you, Princess?" Mario asked.

The princess debated a moment before answering. "It's a long story," she finally said.

"Long stories are my favorite type," answered Mario. "Can you tell us, Princess?"

"Well... Mushroom Land was once a beautil place without many troubles. As far as I remember, there had not been any invaders for many years, and any evildoers from within were swiftly brought to justice.

"However, six months before you arrived, the serenity of Mushroom Land was shattered when King Koopa arrived. He made an ultimatum with my father, King Philip Toadstool, to surrender the castle in three days or he would invade it. My father refused.

"Only two days into the ultimatum, King Koopa broke his promise and attacked the castle. Our soldiers fought valiantly against King Koopa and his soldiers. Back then, Koopa's army was much bigger than it was now. My father's soldiers fought Koopa for two long months. We finally prevailed against them, but at a costly price: we had spent so many coins on supplies to keep Koopa's army at bay that we could not afford to keep the castle anymore. Mushroom Land's government had to evict us from the castle.

"All the retainers had gone their own ways. Toad, the youngest retainer, decided to remain with me as we were forced to be on the run from King Koopa. We ran and hid from Koopa for four months. We couldn't stay in one place for long. Some nights we even had to sleep in the middle of cold, damp forests.

"But all this changed when you arrived. Koopa was actually a little frightened at you when you arrived, and when you sent him packing, he started hating you more than me."

"But what happened to the king?" Luigi asked.

Princess Toadstool had a farwaway look in her eyes. "One day during the war, my father said he had to accomplish an important mission alone. He never returned, and... and is presumed dead."

Mario was stunned. "You've been through a lot..." he solemnly said.

"She has," Toad answered for his princess as she tried to regain her composure. "And you were wondering why she can't get her castle back? The Mushroom Parliament says that without the king, she cannot rightfully claim the castle until she is fourty years old."

"Which means we need to find the king," Mario said. "I'm convinced he's not dead."

"It's not that simple," said the princess as she raised her head. "You see, my father never said where he was going."

"One way or another," promised Mario, "we will find him for you."

"...Thank you, Mario," was all the princess could say as she turned around and started to leave. Her friends joined her.

Suddenly they heard a noise coming from a nearby warp pipe.

"Stay back! I've got this!" ordered Mario as he rushed over to the pipe. But he was bowled over as several figures emerged from it.

"Mama mia..." he groaned as he rubbed his head.

The princess gasped as the figure of King Koopa also emerged from the pipe. "Tight squeeze," he mumbled.

"Attention, Marios!" he shouted. "I would like you to meet my children, the Koopalings!" He introduced them, from oldest to youngest, as Kooky von Koopa, Kootie Pie O. Koopa, Bully Koopa, Hop Koopa, Big Mouth Koopa Jr., Cheatsy Koopa, and Hip Koopa.

"They look just like you," said an astonished Luigi.

Koopa beamed. "They also share my ambition for evil." Changing the subject, he said, "But enough pep talk! Koopa Pack- er, _Koopalings_ , attack! Boy, I'm used to saying 'Koopa Pack'..."

Immediately all seven Koopalings drew magic wands.

"Yikes!" exclaimed Mario as the Koopalings fired magic blasts at the heroes. Mario and his friends dodged several blasts, but Toad wasn't quite fast enough, and was hit by three blasts of magic at once.

"Toad!" his friends exclaimed as they rushed over. But Luigi was suddenly tackled from behind by Cheatsy and Bully.

"Gah! A little help here, guys?"

"Coming!" Mario called as he rushed over to Luigi. Toadstool was just finishing helping Toad to his feet when she was grabbed by Kootie Pie and Big Mouth, who dragged her away from the scene.

"Excellent!" Koopa exclaimed with glee. "Now finish them!"

As Hip and Hop struck down Toad once more with their magic, a frustrated Mario charged toward them, but was hurtled across the plain by a strong magic blast cast by Kooky.

The Koopalings laughed at the carnage they had just caused before returning to King Koopa with the princess.

"Here's your royal beauty, King Dad!" Kooky presented the princess to Koopa.

"Let me go!" she struggled against her captors.

"Why would I?" Koopa smiled down at her. "You know that every time I kidnap you, I have you in mind for one of my evil plans."

"Do tell."

"Now why would I tell my enemy my strategy?" he countered. "Koopalings, take the princess back to my camp. I'll join you in a moment."

As the seven children of King Koopa went back down the warp pipe with the princess, King Koopa sneered at the unconscious Mario, Luigi, and Toad. "And you call yourself 'Super' Mario," he taunted the plumber clad in red. "You couldn't even defeat my children. What chance do you have against _me_?" Letting his parting words ring in the air, he slowly turned back to the warp pipe and squeezed his way down its thin passage.

* * *

How much time passed since Mario fought the Koopalings, he did not know. His head was spinning as he slowly sat up. And it wasn't just from the headache he had. As he looked around and saw his unconscious friends, several thoughts came to him. Are the Koopalings really King Koopa's children. If so, who was his wife? How did Mario and his friends lose so easily? And could any of this be tied in with King Philip?

As both his headache and his thoughts were going through his head, he slowly rose to his feet and walked over to his friends. He was a good thirty feet away from them; how could he have been knocked this far?

"Come on, time to get up, Luigi. You too, Toad," he gently shook them awake. They opened their eyes and looked around. "Can someone get me the number of the Koopa that hit me?" Toad mumbled.

"W-where's the princess?" realized Luigi.

Then it hit him. Mario had been so focused on his thoughts that he hadn't realized the absence of Princess Toadstool! Now he was determined to find her _and_ her father.

"Let's-a go!" rallied Mario. "We have a princess to rescue!"

 _The princess - kidnapped! Her father - vanished! King Koopa - has kids?! Who are the Koopalings? What happened to Princess Toadstool's father? And will the Mario Brothers rescue the princess? Come back next time for the next part of_ _ **The Koopalings!**_

* * *

 **A/N:** Hey everyone, thanks for joining me for our first true story arc. I believe I could not have pocked a better time than now to introduce the Koopalings, whlose names I have derived from The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3. If you are new to the series and don't know their game names, they will be revealed in a later issue. Additionally, for technical reasons, I used the name Kootie Pie O. Koopa rather than Kootie Pie Koopa.

* * *

"Mama mia," said Mario, "it looks like we don't have any questions to answer this issue! But that's okay. Just send us your questions via the author's PM, and please follow the rules stated in Issue 1. Also, **you can now ask questions/dares to the Koopalings!** Until next time, everybody, do the Mario!"


	11. SMB Issue 11 (Sep 1990)

**A/N:** Hey guys, what's up? Two chapters in a week?! Why, that's unheard of! Now I'm really reaping the benefits of having a decent backlog!

I believe I actually did a great job for Issues 1-9, for someone who hasn't seen The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! in years (except for Star Koopa for reference). I _have_ , though, seen all the Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 episodes.

And here's a fun fact: I originally wanted to make a story called 20,000 Koopas Under the Sea... until I realized that name was taken by the show. It ended up being replaced with Fryguy Heist.

Also, I've created a forum for you to chat about the story! Check it out here:

forum/Super-Mario-Bros-The-Novelized-Comic/208815/

...Is it just me or are the chapters getting shorter?

Anyway, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

* * *

 _I do not own anything in this fanfic except for any original content that I come up with. Mario belongs to Nintendo, which does not endorse or affiliate itself with this fanfic. Constructive criticism is allowed, but please, no flames._

And now, on to the comic!

* * *

 **The Koopalings, Part 2: The Magic Wands of Mushroom Land**

* * *

Princess Toadstool struggled against the Koopalings' grasps as she was dragged into King Koopa's latest camp.

"What have I been kidnapped for _this_ time?" she groaned.

"Oh, that's not something for you to know," stated Cheatsy.

As Kootie Pie and Big Mouth tied her to a chair, Kooky stood in front of her. "King Dad will be here soon, and you can bring all your troubles to him then."

"I'm here, kids!" came the voice of King Koopa from the tent entrance.

"You're early, King Dad!" noted Bully.

"It sounds like the princess wants to complain to you, King Dad," said Hip.

"Sure, everyone will eventually complain to me once I conquer Mushroom Land, but will I listen? Noooo," Koopa bragged. "Fine, what are you complaining about, Princess?"

"You've been kidnapping me time and time again since Mario arrived," she said, hoping to get her point through, "and you've never told me why."

"I don't have to," Koopa cut her off. "But since eight brilliant masterminds are better than one, and you're not going anywhere any time soon, I'll tell you." As he leaned in closer, his next sentence caught her off guard.

"Where are you hiding your father?"

The bound princess was shocked at his knowledge of her father. "You... You know about... my father?"

Koopa smirked. "I know more about him than you think."

Toadstool shuddered. She secretly hoped the Mario Brothers and Toad would find her soon...

* * *

Still dazed from their brush with the seven Koopalings, and having no idea where the princess was, Mario, Luigi, and Toad were travelling to the village.

"Who _were_ those guys?" fumed Toad. "How did we lose so easily?"

"And when did Koopa marry?" added Luigi.

" _Whom_ did he marry?" queried Mario. "And where's the princess?"

"Maybe we'll find a clue later on," said an optimistic Luigi.

Just then, something caught their eyes. A Toad was approaching them from the village just ahead.

"Mario!" he called. "The king of Grass Land would like to speak with you."

"Right!" Mario hoped that it had something to do with the Koopalings or the princess.

"I'll lead the way. Follow me!"

"Actually, if you don't mind," Toad interjected, "I think I'll look for clues to the princess' whereabouts around town."

"Think you'll find anything?" Mario asked. He wanted Toad's mission to be fruitful.

"Of course I will! As the princess' closest adviser, I know almost everyone in the village. Surely someone's seen the princess!"

"Okay, then. Good luck, Toad!" Mario waved as Toad began to leave.

"See you later!" called Luigi.

* * *

Not too long after, Mario and Luigi arrived at the Grass Land castle. The Toad led the way to the king's chamber. The king of Grass Land was a stately figure, and his throne was flanked by two Toad guards holding spears. In reality, this king wasn't a king in his own right; in fact, he was a sub-king appointed by King Philip long ago.

"Mario, Luigi, I'm glad you were able to come." Rising from his throne, he beckoned the two plumbers to follow him into his private study, where the three sat down around a table.

"I'm afraid we were broken into last night," the king said.

"What was stolen?" inquired Luigi.

The king sighed. "The Seven Wands of Mushroom Land."

"What?!" the plumbers were shocked.

"I thought Princess Toadstool kept them in her castle!" blurted Mario.

"She did," clarified the king, "but that was before the war with Koopa. They were since relocated for safekeeping. The seven sub-kings, myself included, of the seven sub-lands of Mushroom Land, were each given a wand. Fortunately, King Koopa suspected nothing.

"Or so we thought. Koopa's seven children, whom we sub-kings have been intercepting for two months now, were each sent to a castle. They managed to steal the wands and escape using the cover of night. They even managed to give our guards the slip. Even a thorough search for them in the morning brought no results.

"In the wrong hands, the wands are extremely dangerous. They are capable of changing people into animals, resizing things, and many other dangerous things. Mario and Luigi, do you believe you can return the wands?"

"Yes, we can," said a confident Mario.

"We only just met the Koopalings today," Luigi said. "How did we not know about them?"

"I believe he was training them to succeed where his minions have failed," the king gave his opinion.

Mario then remembered something. "What do you know about King Philip?"

The king repositioned himself in his seat. "He was an amazing king. He kept his cool during the war with Koopa, and without him, we wouldn't have won. But one day, he had to go on a secret mission alone, leaving her daughter in charge. But he never returned. Everyone fears he may have died."

"Wow, that's grim," breathed Luigi.

"Oh, I just remembered, I have something that may help you." He left the room and was soon back with a royal envelope.

"Take this to the princess once you free her," the king instructed, "and find the seven wands for the Mushroom Kingdom!"

* * *

As Mario and Luigi headed for the exit, they had a lot on their minds, namely, the whereabouts of the princess, the secrecy of the Koopalings, and the term "Mushroom Kingdom".

Suddenly, they were jarred from their thoughts when there came a rumbling noise from outside.

"Mama mia, my stomach is calling my name again!"

"It's not that, Mario!" said Luigi. "Look!"

The front door suddenly broke down, and Mario and Luigi found an entire stampede of loose Chain Chomps thundering their way.

 _Uh-oh... Things look grim for our heroes now... First a kidnapping, then a story of a robbery, and then a stampede? How are the Koopalings being so secretive? And what is the Mushroom Kingdom? Come back next time for part three of_ _ **The Koopalings!**_

* * *

 **A/N:** Aaaaaaand that wraps up part two! I really liked the concept of the seven kings being sub-kings, and the seven lands of Super Mario Bros. 3 being divisions of Mushroom Land. Additionally, I think my version of the SMB3 story dovetails nicely with the war with Koopa story.

* * *

"Mama mia," said Mario, "it looks like we don't have any questions to answer this issue! But that's okay. Just send us your questions via the author's PM, and please follow the rules stated in Issue 1. Until next time, everybody, do the Mario!"


	12. SMB Issue 12 (Oct 1990)

**A/N:** Hey guys, what's up? I don't have much to say here, except welcome aboard, Yuma Crafter!

* * *

 _ **animegamefanatic:**_ _I think Bowser wasn't married but rather created the koopalings using a different means. As for Peach's constant abductions...i'm thinking 3 reasons. Her power, Her dad, and that he wants to make her his queen._

 **I have a different idea as to the origins of the Koopalings, although this won't be revealed for quite some time. As for Peach's kidnappings… you'll just have to read on.**

* * *

 _ **YumaCDeSennMC:**_ _Ahhhhhh Okay. I JUST started reading this and jeeeeeeezzz you have one good hook._

 _I myself watched The Super Mario Brother's Super Show (Why didn't I abbreviate that?) when I was a little younger and some episodes of SMB3 and Super Mario World (When I found them, anyway.)_

 _I would have loved an Archie comic like thing for Mario, with the way they've had comics for them it could work, especially for the more recent games and every RPG title. (Have you SEEN Super Paper Mario? A comic arc for that would be amazing. That game gave me CHILLS.)_

 _This story is definitely going into my favorites, I'll be watching for more of this awesome idea. See ya next time!_

 _(And as a side note, I really liked the Fourth Wall breaks, for me personally, Luigi and King Koopa would be the main two breakers, at least, I think they would be.)_

 _~Yuma Crafter_

* * *

 **Thank you for your review!**

 **I too am a huge fan of Super Paper Mario. I've done everything in that game except for completing the Flopside Pit of 100 Trials and the Duel of 100. And yes, I have big plans for the game and its characters for a later part in the story.**

* * *

 _I do not own anything in this fanfic except for any original content that I come up with. Mario belongs to Nintendo, which does not endorse or affiliate itself with this fanfic. Constructive criticism is allowed, but please, no flames._

And now, on to the comic!

* * *

 **The Koopalings, Part 3: Dogfight**

* * *

Mario and Luigi stood riveted to the spot as the Chain Chomps spilled through the doorway and thundered toward them. Or, at least Luigi was riveted to the spot. He couldn't tell his legs to move. This event was completely unexpected. If there was one person responsible for this, it would have to be-

But his thoughts were interrupted when Mario suddenly tackled him out of the way of the iron dog-like creatures that blazed through the spot they had just been.

"That was too close," sighed Luigi.

"It's not over yet, Luigi. Run!"

Mario pulled his brother to his feet, and the two took off running. But the Chain Chomps had the same idea. "You break left, I'll break right!" ordered Mario.

"Got it!" Luigi said as he ran to the left. He looked back briefly, and was shocked to see that the Chain Chomps had split up as well.

Luigi knew he couldn't outrun these beasts forever. Eventually he would tire out, and he didn't even want to think about what would happen if he tripped.

"Mario! Luigi! Take these!"

Luigi turned to the source of the voice. It was the king. Relief at last. In his hands were two small chests, which he tossed to the two heroes as they approached. They opened them, and removed the Super Leaves that were inside. They pressed them to their chests, and immediately, they felt raccoon ears and tails grow on them. They have transformed into Raccoon Mario and Raccoon Luigi.

"Good thing I had those two chests left over after I gave all the other to Toad House, Inc.," remarked the king.

To the plumbers he said, "You've got to leave now, boys! We've got this!" as several Toad guards ran in.

"Let's-a go!" rallied Mario as he and his brother took off running for the doorway. Behind them they could hear the order for a net to be dropped onto the Chain Chomps. As they gained speed, and were leaving the room, they could soon hear the whimpering of the Chomps. The king had successfully captured them.

Once the plumbers reached max speed, they spread their arms, flapped their tails, and began to gain altitude. They soared out the door and into the open air.

Just then, Mario's keen eye noticed something moving away from the castle.

"Luigi… Do you see what I see?"

Luigi saw the figure, who seemed to be headed toward a hill nearby.

"Mario, that's Big Mouth Koopa, Jr., one of the Koopalings! I think _he's_ responsible for the Chain Chomps! Should we go after him?"

Mario thought for a moment before making his decision. "No, Luigi. He would most likely see us and summon the other Koopalings. That's not a risk we're going to take."

"So what should we do instead, Mario?" Luigi asked as Big Mouth was now out of sight.

"I say we meet up with Toad and see what he found out."

"Good idea."

They set their course for the village, hoping that Toad had found out as much as they did.

* * *

Big Mouth ran to the other side of the hill, a gleam in his eye. The Chain Chomps had charged into the castle, just as he and his brothers and sister had planned. Those Mario Brothers must be finished by now, he thought.

He met his siblings at the other side of the hill. They had sinister eager looks on their faces.

"So how did it go, Big Mouth?" Hop fired first.

"It went great!" Big Mouth exclaimed. "The Chomps charged into the castle just as planned, and I imagine that those too-good plumbers are going to be mangled, crushed, pulverized, trampled-"

"We get the idea, Big Mouth," interrupted an exasperated Cheatsy.

"They don't call him Big Mouth for nothing," Bully muttered under his breath.

"Apparently you didn't do your job well enough," Kootie Pie broke in, pointing to something in the distance. "Look!"

All Koopaling eyes turned to what she was pointing at. Disgust filled their faces as they saw it was those two plumbers gently descending to the ground.

"They survived!" Bully roared.

"Those meddling humans!" Hip added.

"We need a new plan!" proposed Kooky.

"And I've got just the idea," snickered Cheatsy. "Listen to this…"

* * *

"There's Toad, waiting for us," pointed Mario as his feet touched the ground. Luigi landed next to him. "Let's see if his luck was as good as ours."

Mario and Luigi met Toad at the entrance to the village. He was smiling; a good sign he found something out.

"What did you discover?" asked Mario.

"One of the villagers told me that yesterday, he saw Koopa on his way to Desert Land, saying something about a hew hideout," reported Toad.

"Desert Land, eh?" said Mario. "That's a huge region. He could be anywhere in Desert Land. Though, I doubt he would have easy access to the pyramids there."

"Yeah," said Luigi.

"Don't fret, guys!" encouraged Toad. "I have a cousin there who's a map salesman. Maybe he can help us out!"

"Good idea," said Mario. "We need to know our way around Desert Land. We can also mark where we've been."

* * *

"So you'd like a map to Desert Land?" asked Toad's cousin. "I've got maps to the pyramids, the oases, and everywhere in between!"

The group studied the maps, and chose the one that best suited them.

"That'll be ten coins, please!" Toad paid the fare, and they walked away with the map.

* * *

Although Desert Land wasn't far from Grass Land, the sizzling temperatures made the group's trek seem longer. Not to mention trudging through the desert sand wasn't helping much. And the Pokeys and Fire Snakes were just adding insult to injury.

"It's only been fifteen minutes, but it feels like hours," said Luigi.

"And we don't know where in Desert Land Koopa's camp is," added Toad.

"We're almost there," reassured Mario, even though he would admit he didn't know where Koopa's camp was located. The camp was brand new, and Mario was sure it wouldn't be on the map. But at least he had a pen to mark where they had been.

As they walked, Mario couldn't help but think about the condition of the princess. Was she okay? Why was she kidnapped? Did it have anything to do with her father? Now, Mario knew that King Philip was most likely a very important figure in Mushroom Land. But how did he disappear? A king wouldn't just up and vanish without good reason. And because of that, the princess and even young Toad were on the run from Koopa for longer than they could bear. There was nowhere they could hide. They were powerless until Mario and Luigi arrived. Then the tide turned.

Now King Koopa, who had become Mario's enemy at first sight, finally had Princess Toadstool in his grasp. This wasn't the first time the princess had been captured, but now Koopa had not one, not two, but seven children to help him with his evil deeds. And they had been unleashed on Mario and Luigi with terrible results. Now Mario was more determined to get the seven Magic Wands away from the Koopalings.

Mario stopped at the top of a dune. He could see a lot of Desert Land from his location. Then he thought he saw what looked like a tent set up in the distance.

He was unaware of a rustling sound nearby, and Mario's concentration was broken by Toad's warning:

"Look out!"

But the warning came too late, and the three were now trussed up in a net hanging from the nearby palm tree.

"Yikes!" yelped Toad as he was suddenly pulled up by the net.

Then their surprise changed to annoyance as they heard the maniacal sound of the Koopalings laughing beneath them.

"It was very foolish of you to interfere in King Dad's plans," chided Kooky.

"And now you're going to pay for it," said Kootie Pie.

"What are you doing here?" groaned Luigi.

"Isn't it obvious?" said Kooky.

"We're here to stop you from rescuing the princess!" Bully said, his arms crossed.

"But you can't rescue her, because you're too busy _hanging_ out with us!" At Cheatsy's joke, all the Koopalings burst out in laughter.

"I hope you don't get too bored," mocked Big Mouth.

"Have fun up there!" chuckled Hip.

"And don't think of escaping!" warned Hop.

Mario sighed. He had been outnumbered, outmatched, and now outwitted by the Koopalings.

* * *

Princess Toadstool struggled against her bonds. Being captured for the umpteenth time was no fun whatsoever.

"It's no use, Princess," taunted King Koopa. "Releasing you isn't on my to-do list."

"I hope my capture has nothing to do with my father…" wished the princess.

"You have noooo idea," said Koopa. "In fact, my search party is out looking for your dear King Philip Toadstool right now."

"He's smarter than you think, reptile!" retorted Toadstool.

"And _I'm_ smarter than _you_ think, dear," said a smug Koopa. "Once I find your oh-so-precious father, I'm going to bring him right back here!"

"And what do you plan to do with him?" wondered Toadstool.

"Oh, get rid of him, of course. He's not good for this kingdom, and besides, if he's not on the throne, then that makes me the default king!"

"And where do I come in?" The princess knew the worst was coming, especially when she saw the way Koopa was grinning evilly at her.

"I'm going to make you my _queen_ , Princess."

The princess was in shock. Koopa had a lot of nerve to say that. This infuriated her to the boiling point.

"Never in a hundred million years, Koopa! Do you hear?! _Never!_ "

"You should be honored, Princess. With your power, you will be a koop-tacular Bride of the House of Koopa."

"I'm telling you, Koopa, the Mario is out looking for me right now!"

"And _I'm_ telling _you_ that he will have been captured by now. As will your father, because my search party is comprised of the elites."

The princess hoped she wouldn't have to say what she was going to say.

"You'll never find her, Lizard Lips! He's dead!"

"Never say never, Princess," retaliated Koopa. "You just hinted at his survival. And now I'm going to use you to find your father for myself."

 _Things are really looking grim for Mushroom Land… Is the king dead or alive. Will Mario break free and rescue the princess? And will Koopa's evil plan come to pass? Find out the answers to these questions and more in the thrilling conclusion to_ _ **The Koopalings!**_

* * *

 **A/N:** That wraps up Part Three! A big thank you to animegamefanatic for his review; I used the ideas concerning Peach's kidnappings. Toad's cousin is from the Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 episode _Mind Your Mummy Mommy, Mario_. If you noticed, I've been changing my style a little bit to match the more serious mood of the current stories.

* * *

"Hey, paisanos," said Mario, "it's time for **Ask the Mario Characters!** Where you, the readers, get to send us questions and dares, and we'll answer them and act them... if we feel like it. As usual, the Loophole Police are standing by in case anyone decides to avoid answering questions directly.

"Our questions today come from **YumaCDeSennMC** , better known as **Yuma Crafter**. The first one is for me… and it doesn't look pretty. This one says I must be 100% honest."

"But we're always 100% honest when answering questions," said Koopa.

"Not you," retaliated Toad.

"You have a point. We bad guys have a thing with honesty and the lack thereof."

"All right, here it goes. " **If Luigi was to be close to dying tomorrow (Note: close), say in a fight with King Koopa or any other bad guy you have in that world, and you were the only one present in the area to see it happen, what would you do?** "

Mario thought for a moment. "I would get him out of there as fast as I could, and return later with more support. If Luigi did die, that's nothing a 1-Up Mushroom can't fix."

"But 1-Ups are so rare," said Luigi.

"All the better for me," chuckled Koopa.

"This next question is for you, Luigi. " **If Mario was in severe danger, by any means, and you were the only person around that was able to save him, would you?** "

"Definitely," answered Luigi. "I would use as many power-ups as I could to fight my way through the enemies and rescue Mario. Anything for my bro."

Mario and Luigi high-fived, and most of those present clapped. Of course, most of the bad guys didn't, because… well… they're bad guys.

"Why, teamwork? Whyyyy?" moaned Koopa as a laugh track sounded from nowhere.

"Sorry!" said the Toad in the sound booth.

"This was a short session," remarked Princess Toadstool. "Hopefully next issue will be longer."

Mario faced the camera. "We'll be back next issue with more questions, if any, to answer! Until next time, everybody, do the Mario!"


	13. SMB Issue 13 (Nov 1990)

**A/N:** Hey guys, what's up? Before we kick off the conclusion to The Koopalings, I was wondering if you've checked out my user page yet. You'll see a list of ideas for story projects I might take up for myself, and if you want to see me turn these ideas into stories, just PM me. I accept ideas, but not requests.

* * *

 _ **animegamefanatic:** I knew it! For all the reasons...her power, her kingdom, her dad, and to be his queen._

 _Get ready Mario bros...You both are up for a real challenge._

 **Actually, if it wasn't for ideas, The story would have been a little different. Your ideas actually improved the story. Thanks for being such a devoted reader!**

* * *

 _ **YumaCDeSennMC:** Aww, that's so sweet you guys, and yeah this was short but I personally like it well enough._

 **Mario and Luigi say thank you for your questions and support for this story! :D**

* * *

 _I do not own anything in this fanfic except for any original content that I come up with. Mario belongs to Nintendo, which does not endorse or affiliate itself with this fanfic. Constructive criticism is allowed, but please, no flames._

And now, on to the comic!

* * *

 **The Koopalings, Part 4: Rescue**

* * *

Life could probably not get more humiliating than this.

Mario was trapped in a net in a tree. If that wasn't enough, he was trapped with two of his friends, Luigi and Toad. If that still wasn't enough, they were alone together in the desert. And if that still wasn't enough, King Koopa's children, the Koopalings, were standing underneath them, laughing their heads off like this was the funniest prank they ever pulled. Mario was lucky social media didn't make it to Mushroom Land yet.

"Kootie, quick, get the camera!" Kooky exclaimed, barely able to hold back his laughter.

"I've got it right here, Kooky!" Snapping the picture, she waited for it to develop. When the image exited the camera, the Koopalings studied it, and burst out laughing again.

"Now's our chance," Mario whispered to the others. He pulled a pair of scissors from his overall pocket. Normally he used them for his plumbing jobs back at Brooklyn, but this time, he had something different in mind. He carefully reached through the top of the net and found the rope attaching the net to the tree. He took a deep breath and closed the blades around the rope.

He was now falling.

Fortunately, it was not a long fall, maybe only about ten feet, but it was just far enough for his bottom to hurt in the morning. As they landed, the net opened up, and Mario ordered his friends to run with him in the direction of King Koopa's tent.

"They're getting away!" shouted an incredulous Hop.

"After them!" ordered Bully.

Mario, Luigi, and Toad now had to run like the wind in order to escape the seven Koopalings that were now hot on their heels. Desert sand was hard to navigate compared to normal ground, and Luigi wished more than ever that he could be back on solid ground. He kept telling himself that there wasn't much farther to go.

Nothing stood between Toad and the tent. He felt more motivated than ever to rescue his princess. Was it because this kidnapping seemed unusual? Or maybe it was because he was being pursued by the Koopalings? He had one mission now: get in the tent, get the princess, get out of here.

At last, the group reached the tent. Toad and Luigi entered first, and Mario took one last look outside before entering himself. The Koopalings seemed to be slowing up. He began to wonder why, but was distracted by the princess' voice:

"Mario!"

Instinctively he turned around, and saw that the princess was tied to a chair. He sort of expected this, but what really got him was the fact that no one else was in the tent. Koopa must have been confident to leave the princess unguarded. After all, Koopa knew the princess probably couldn't have escaped by herself.

"Where did Koopa go?" asked Luigi as Mario used his plumbing scissors to free Princess Toadstool.

"Right here, drain-brain."

A Koopa-shaped shadow loomed over the group, and Mario didn't even need to look to tell him it was his arch-nemesis. He turned to face his foe."

"I return to my hideout after failing to find the long-lost king of Mushroom Land, and what do I find? Three mushroom brats waiting for me!" he declared. "You've just made my day a whole lot easier."

Just then the Koopalings arrived, standing by Koopa's side.

"Eight against four…" taunted Koopa. "Whatever are you going to do?"

"I'm not afraid of you," said Mario. Pulling four Fire Flowers from his pockets, which he had brought along as a precaution, he supplied them to his friends and himself.

"Now! Hit 'em with all you've got!" ordered Mario. "PASTA POWERRRR!" Koopa was taken briefly off guard, "You and your pasta," he muttered, expecting the worst and cringing as the fireballs hurtled his way.

But nothing came. He dared to open his eyes, and when he did, he stared in awe. His own children, the Koopalings, had stopped the fireballs in their tracks, and were merging them to create a giant fireball. Koopa had to step back a little due to the massive fireball's heat.

"You think a few tiny sparks are going to stop my kids?" Koopa taunted. "Think again! My Koopalings outsmart you pipe-crawlers sevenfold!"

Mario was struggling to fire a fireball that wouldn't hit the growing ball of heat in front of him to make it larger. "Make your Koopalings give their wands back to the seven kings of Mushroom Land, Koopa!"

"Oh, but it's not that easy," Koopa stated. "Once a Koopa possession, always a Koopa possession, you know And besides..." He stepped closer to the tiring plumbers. "...why would I give my children's favorite playthings to a couple of fungi?"

Then he had a sinister gleam in his eye. Turning to the fireball, he approached it, intending to kick it into Mario and his friends. However, he did not count on Mario's watchful eye, and the fact that Mario saw what Koopa was about to do.

Mario approached the fireball.

Who would kick first?

Both were close to the fireball. Both could feel its incredible heat on their faces. Both were rearing their feet to make the strike.

Mario's foot made contact with the fireball.

The plumber clad in red was amazed at the amount of force put into that kick. It was so powerful that it engulfed not only Koopa, but also all the Koopalings, and sent them rolling outside down a sand dune.

Mario headed over to entrance of the tent and picked up the wands the Koopalings had dropped. "Huh," he said as he studied the wands. "So these are the Seven Wands of Mushroom Land."

"Yes," said the princess as she too came over to study them. "They are very powerful, and dangerous in the wrong hands."

"It's a good thing we got them when we did," remarked Toad. "Who knows what else the Koopalings could have done with them."

"Maybe that's a question better left unanswered," said Luigi.

"Great job, boys!" congratulated the princess. "Now let's get these wands back to the sub-kings of Mushroom Land."

As they were leaving, King Koopa shook his fist at the group as he sat up in the oasis the fireball had rolled into.

* * *

It took nearly four hours, but the group had finally restored all the wands to Mushroom Land's seven sub-kings. They were glad to have gotten the wands back, and vowed to strengthen their security. How the Koopalings stole the wands so easily they didn't know, but they wanted to be prepared in case the Koopalings struck again.

So did Mario. Seven against four seemed a little unfair, and a sudden ambush was not appreciated, but Mario knew he would encounter the Koopalings again.

But right now he wasn't thinking about the Koopalings. While he was tired from the rescue, the fight, and the restoration of the wands, his mind was in a whirl. Thought, questions, theories – he just had to get them out of his head.

"Princess," he began, "When we were speaking with the king of Grass Land about the wands, he mentioned a Mushroom Kingdom. What is the Mushroom Kingdom?"

The princess turned to him. "You're in the Mushroom Kingdom right now," she explained. "It was the old name of Mushroom Land before Koopa invaded. When the king disappeared – and I fear the worst for him – the land couldn't be called the Mushroom Kingdom anymore, because the king was gone."

"Then why couldn't they appoint you as queen?"

"We did not have the resources to do that. Most of our retainers had to act as soldiers, that's how many minions Koopa threw at us." The princess sighed. "When we lost the castle… we lost the kingdom."

"So you actually lost the war with Koopa?"

"No one really won. While we did severely weaken Koopa's forces to the point of retreating, we did not go without loss ourselves."

"What about Koopa's castle?" asked Luigi. "Is it true he's building a permanent settlement?"

"That news sounds legitimate, but you never know with Koopa."

"And what does Koopa want with your father?" wondered Toad.

"He told me he wants to get rid of him, so I can be his queen when he takes over Mushroom Land. No way am I marrying that reptile!"

Suddenly Mario remembered something at the mention of Toadstool's father. Pulling the letter out of his pocket, he handed it to the princess, explaining that it was given to him by the king of Grass Land. The princess opened the letter and read it.

 _"Dear Princess Toadstool,"_ the letter read, _"If you are reading this, I am hiding from King Koopa. My mission has gone awry, and Koopa is looking for me._

 _"If possible, dear princess, find friends who are willing to defeat King Koopa. But beware: he is a dangerous foe who has escaped banishment once before._

 _"I don't know if I will see you again, but I want you to be brave, princess. Be brave for me. Be brave for the Mushroom Kingdom."_

The princess was tearing up at the powerful emotions the letter carried. "Do you know what this means?" she paused, letting the letter's words soak in. "My father may still be alive."

 _What?! King Philip Toadstool may still be alive? If so, where is he? What is King Koopa's next plan? Has Mario seen the last of the Koopalings? All will be revealed in due time! Come back next time, as Mario and friends chase down a mysterious burglar, in **A Fungus Among Us!**_

* * *

 **A/N:** ...I actually wrote something emotional. While tugging at the 'ol heartstrings isn't normally what I do, I just had to do it this time. It's not exactly a reference, but the letter to Princess Toadstool could be like the once in the Nintendo Comics System comic _Dear Princess Toadstool._ Also, the next story, A Fungus Among Us, is a special story. You'll see why in the pre-story author's note in the next issue.

* * *

"Mama mia," said Mario, "it looks like we don't have any questions to answer this issue! But that's okay. Just send us your questions via the author's PM, and please follow the rules stated in Issue 1. Until next time, everybody, do the Mario!"


	14. SMB Issue 14 (Dec 1990)

**A/N:** Hey guys, what's up? Sorry about there being no new chapter in almost three weeks; I've been busy working on two other fan fictions. One of them is the Star Wars and Redwall crossover story I mentioned on my user page. The other one is a unique OC-driven crossover story. I should have chapters up for both of these stories within the month.

This story is going to be a special one. Why? Because its synopsis is written by my brother AlphaWeasel, who previously wrote Rage Before Beauty back in Issue 4! He wrote the synopsis, and I wrote the final draft. His Winnie-the-Pooh story, War for the Hundred-Acre Wood, is currently on hiatus, but I'm sure he'll return to it.

This story will feature a new character of AlphaWeasel's imagination, and I gave it its name. Who is this character? Well, you'll have to read on to find out!

* * *

 _ **animegamefanatic:** oh no prob. I love this story :D and I'm flattered you liked my ideas. Thank you._

 _I wonder If the Princess will ever give out her real name to the others. And I also Wonder if Koopa might become Jealous of the princess's friendship with Mario and co. especially the hero in red. Most of all, I wonder what kind of challenges that our heroes will face._

 **There will always be challenges for the plumbers and co. to face…**

 **Will King Koopa become jealous of the princess' friendship with the others? Perhaps this is one of the reasons he is constantly kidnapping the princess.**

 **As for the princess' real name… Even though the name Peach was first used in Yoshi's Safari, that was only in a few regions. Peach didn't really become used until Super Mario 64, released in 1996. Don't expect her to be called Peach until at least Issue 84. I'm already working on a storyline about it.**

* * *

 _ **YumaCDeSennMC:** Ooooooh, things are heating up now! I can't wait to see what will happen next time!_

 _Quick question though, are you going to include the Paper Mario series and the M & L RPG series? I'm sorry if you already said or not, I must have missed it if you did, but I'm just curious._

 **I will include elements from every aspect of the Mario, Donkey Kong, Wario, and Yoshi series, including Hotel Mario, but excluding the 1993 Super Mario Bros. Movie. I will also not have Bowser use black magic, as per the original Super Mario Bros. storyline. So yes, I will use elements from both RPG series, even Legend of the Seven Stars.**

* * *

 _I do not own anything in this fanfic except for any original content that I come up with. Mario belongs to Nintendo, which does not endorse or affiliate itself with this fanfic. Constructive criticism is allowed, but please, no flames._

And now, on to the comic!

* * *

 **A Fungus Among Us, Part 1: The Burglar**

* * *

The sound of hammers meeting nails roused King Koopa from his slumber. From his tent entrance, he look to the source of the sound. Dozens, maybe a hundred minions were working on building his massive castle, which Koopa had decided to name after himself. However, something caught his eye.

"No, you turtlenecks, the crossbeam goes the other way! You two, you're using too much mortar! Save some for the rest of the castle! You Goombas, Tab C goes into Slot B, not Slot F! Can't you read instructions?!"

"We had instructions?" said a Goomba.

"No kidding?" added a Koopa.

"Oh, here it is!" roared King Koopa as he entered the construction zone. "You used it as wallpaper in Kootie Pie's ballroom!" He peeled the blueprints from the wall. "And look! The entire backside is covered in mortar!"

Koopa sighed. Building a castle using unpaid minions was much harder than it sounded.

"Don't you just love Koopa in the morning?" murmured a sarcastic Shy Guy.

"If only we can get our hands on this 'coffee' Mario speaks of," sighed a Paratroopa.

"At least it's not all bad," Koopa looked to the bright side of things, despite it being dark in Dark Land. "Once Castle Koopa is complete, I will finally have a permanent residence at last. All my minions will have proper sleeping quarters, and, of course, there will be many promotion posters to join my army!" He snickered. "Once I settle into my throne room, I will oversee the destruction of Mario's precious Mushroom Land!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Mario was scanning the morning paper for any reports of plundering, pillaging, and kidnappings related to King Koopa. He did not see anything right away until-

His eyes froze at one of the nearby headlines.

 **"Massive Burglary Spree in Village - Criminal(s) Go(es) Undetected"**

"Guys!" Mario called. "You'll want to come see this!"

The sound of running came from the other room, and Toadstool, Luigi, and Toad entered the living room. Mario immediately showed them the headline.

"Wow, a burglary!" exclaimed Toad. "Right in our own town!"

"Looks like we've got a mystery on our hands," remarked Luigi.

"That's not all," Mario said as he pointed to another paragraph of the headline. "These burglaries have attracted the attention of the Mushroom Parliament, which claims they all seem to be connected."

"Now that's interesting," remarked Princess Toadstool as she began to pace the room, as she usually did when she was in deep thought.

"Think we should find the burglar and take him down?" asked an excited Toad.

"Now just a moment, Toad," chided the princess. "Catching criminals isn't that easy. We need to find clues as to who and where the burglar is."

"Ah, just like the detective stories I read!" realized Toad.

"Exactly," Luigi confirmed. "So Mario, what's our first move?"

"The princess is right," Mario mused. "We need to find clues in order to catch our burglar." Replacing his cap with a deerskin hat, complete with his M symbol, and taking up a magnifying glass, he started for the door. "Sherlock Mario is on the case! Come on, gang! The game's afoot!"

* * *

And so the Mario gang searched the village. They searched the ground for footprints, the house decorations in case any were disturbed during the burglaries, and even around the trash cans. However, their search turned up empty.

"It's as if whatever the burglar stole just up and vanished!" exclaimed Toad. "By the way, what did he steal?"

"Well," Mario paused, recalling what the headline reported, "Apparently he stole various pieces of metal and machinery. What the burglar plans to do with it, I don't know."

"Wait, we haven't checked everywhere," realized Toadstool. Come on, Luigi."

Luigi followed the princess over near one of the houses. She walked over to a nearby tree, scaled the trunk, and crawled her way across one of the branches. She then stood up, spreading her arms for balance, then leaped off the branch. Luigi was about to cover his eyes, as he thought the princess was crazy. Then he looked again, and saw that she was floating over to the roof.

"Princess, what are you doing?" shouted Luigi.

"Checking the roof for footprints!" she called. Before Luigi could question this, she called for him to come up.

Luigi gulped. He couldn't balance precariously on a tree branch like she just did. Then he remembered something. Oh, why didn't he think of that before? He felt like an idiot now.

Crouching down, het let the Subcon energy flow through him. During the group's initial adventure in Subcon Land, they were given power from special Subcon charms. Luigi's power was incredible jump height, the princess got floating abilities, Toad's strength was increased, and Mario got amazing knowledge and brain power. They had used these powers to liberate Subcon land from the tyranny of Wart.

When he was full of Subcon energy, he leaped as high as he could in the air, planting his feet on the roof with the princess. However, he did not take into account how the roof was sloped, and would have slipped had the princess not caught him.

"Th-thanks," Luigi shuddered from his near fall.

The princess directed Luigi's attention to something on the ground. At a closer inspection, he was surprised to see footprints on the roof.

"What do you see?" called Mario from the ground.

"Footprints!" both Luigi and Toadstool reported.

"Wha…? How?" Toad couldn't believe it.

"I've seen so much here at Mushroom Land that nothing surprises me anymore," said Mario. "All right, you can come on down."

Princess Toadstool gently floated to the ground, but something else caught Luigi's eye.

"Guys…" Luigi said, pointing to the hills just outside the village. "What happened to all the bricks and blocks?"

The others turned in the direction Luigi was pointing in. Sure enough, all the blocks appear to have been hit.

Instinctively, the four detectives ran toward the scene of the havoc. Who could possibly have done this? Out of nowhere, the princess stumbled over something. Mario caught her right before she fell.

"What did I trip over?" she wondered as she got back on her feet.

"It looks like a pile of bricks," Toad reported.

"You know what this means?" Mario said, surveying the land. Every block was activated, and every brick broken.

"Someone is using these blocks, just as we are," speculated Luigi. "Could it be Salvador Drainado?"

"I don't think so, Luigi," said Mario. "Remember, we helped him return to Brooklyn, and he expressed no desire to return here."

"Oh yeah, that's right…" Luigi remembered the time when he and his friends helped the stranded plumber escape from King Koopa and return to Mario's home town of Brooklyn. Mario had been given the golden opportunity to return to the city he had lived in most of his life. But he turned it down, because Mushroom Land needed protection. And the princess' story of her escape from King Koopa further fueled this decision.

Just then Luigi pointed to something on the ground. The others gathered around him to look.

Picking up a few of the loose coins that Luigi had found, Mario turned to face the others. "This has to be the burglar."

"But what could the burglar want with metal, machinery, and coins?" mused Luigi.

"Well, why don't we ask around town?" volunteered the princess.

"Good idea, princess," said Mario. "Someone may have seen this burglar. If we're lucky, maybe we'll even have a photograph. Let's-a go!"

* * *

Thirty minute later brought fruitless results. They had asked just about everyone in town, and no one claimed to have seen the burglar.

"That is one sneaky burglar," said a depressed Toad. "No one's seen him anywhere, and yet he's able to steal as much as he wants! How does he pull this off?!"

"Mario!" came a voice behind them. They turned to see a Toad running up to them with a photograph in his hand. "I took this picture last night. I think it might be able to help you!"

"Thank you," Mario said. Taking the photo, he began to examine it. His eyebrows raised when he saw what he thought was the burglar.

The others gathered around the red-clad plumber to have a look as well. They gasped when they saw the burglar.

"But… But…" sputtered Toad.

"I thought…" the princess trailed off.

"Is that a…" Luigi was astonished as well.

"Yes," Mario confirmed their fears. "Our burglar is none other than a Toad."

 _What?! How can this be? Aren't ALL Toads good? And how is the burglar able to steal things without being detected? Find out the answers to these questions more next time, in **A Fungus Among Us!**_

* * *

 **A/N:** Thus begins another Mario story! You might not have gotten much in the action department this issue, but believe me, it's coming. The burglar is an original character, created by AlphaWeasel. His (or her) name will be revealed very soon.

* * *

"Mama mia," said Mario, "it looks like we don't have any questions to answer this issue! But that's okay. Just send us your questions via the author's PM, and please follow the rules stated in Issue 1. Until next time, everybody, do the Mario!"


	15. SMB Issue 15 (Jan 1991)

**A/N:** Hey guys, what's up? In case you haven't noticed, I have an image for the story now! I created it myself by pasting images from Super Mario Wiki onto MS Paint.

Also, I created a poll on my user page. When I get around to writing my Sonic X rewrite, should the story be told from the POVs of Chris and Sonic? This poll will remain up until it's time for me to start the story.

Also, sorry about the misformatting last chapter. I guess I was a little hasty in uploading it.

Now let's go see who that burglar is now, shall we?

* * *

 _ **animegamefanatic:**_ _I'm not really that surprise. Let's face it, if there are good Koopas, Goombas, boos, and etc. like in the paper Mario series, there's bound to be evil Toads. They probably felt abandoned by the king, betrayed by the council, and figured the best course of action is to align themselves with Bowser...maybe even failed to convince the princess to marry Koopa. Or they could just be jerks who turned their back on their kingdom for money and etc. who can say. Either that or its one of Bowser's minions in disguise._

 _I still feel mounting suspicion from Salvador, along with some of the other characters from the tv series (Good and evil (Though not in league with Bowser)...what if they were testing the bros, toad, the princess, and their main allies...to see if they are capable of saving the kingdom and fulfilling a larger destiny._

 **Nice theory about the evil Toads. As of now, AlphaWeasel has yet to add a backstory for Spore, but I'm sure he'll write a story soon that has one.**

 **About the TV series characters, that's an interesting theory as well. Just recently I've realized that Salvador could be to Mario as Shadow is to Sonic. Not enemies, but most likely rivals.**

* * *

 _I do not own anything in this fanfic except for any original content that I come up with. Mario belongs to Nintendo, which does not endorse or affiliate itself with this fanfic. Constructive criticism is allowed, but please, no flames._

And now, on to the comic!

* * *

 **A Fungus Among Us, Part 2: Mastermind**

* * *

The group stared in shock at the image Mario was holding. Though only a silhouette, the burglar was none other than a Toad.

"But… But I didn't do it!" confessed Toad, a little frightened. "I was with you guys this whole time! Besides, I don't remember stealing anything."

"I know that, Toad. Don't worry," responded Mario.

"But how can there be a such thing as an evil Toad?" mused Luigi.

"I've been a princess for nearly thirty years, and I've never seen an evil Toad or defective Toad before in my life," recalled Toadstool.

"Maybe," Mario speculated, "this Toad was never on your side to begin with."

"That is a possibility," agreed the princess. "But there really is an evil Toad in our midst, and if he's stealing machinery, he is definitely up to something."

Turning to leave, she said, "Come on, everyone. We have a burglar to catch!"

"That's more like it!" exclaimed Mario, excitement coursing through his veins as he followed the others.

* * *

"Duck, Mario!"

The man in red heeded his brother's warning and dropped, narrowly avoiding the Bullet Bill that soared over his head.

Getting back up, and trying not to choke on the projectile's contrail, Mario turned to the others. "Are you sure Sky Land is the best place to find our burglar?"

"Sky Land is one of the only places in Mushroom Land we haven't searched yet," answered Princess Toadstool as she roasted another Paratroopa with a fireball. "Wow, these Fire Flowers really come in handy," she commented.

"So, about the burglar," started Luigi. "I really think a Toad would be one of the least likely species to steal things."

"Yeah," agreed Toad. He ducked a Paratroopa that swooped down at him. "Maybe he's a mercenary or just a loner."

"A mercenary…" mused the princess. "I haven't thought of that."

"Good point Toad. Yikes, these Bill Blaster are really well-placed!" Mario had to dodge more Bullet Bills. "I'd bet my spaghetti there are Lakitus here."

"So he stole coins and pieces of machinery," Luigi summarized. "What if he plans to build something?"

"Just hope he doesn't," Toadstool gritted her teeth.

Just then Toad saw something up ahead.

"There he is!"

Obviously the figure had heard Toad, or he wouldn't dart away so quickly.

"After him!" Princess Toadstool ordered.

"Toad," chided Mario, "you may have ruined our chance of catching the burglar."

Toad looked remorseful. "Sorry, Mario," he said. "It's just that I haven't been on this kind of adventure before."

"I forgive you," answered Mario, "But next time, keep your voice down when trailing suspects."

"Right. Sorry."

Luigi then has an idea. There were several ? Blocks just ahead, and, raising his fist so he wouldn't smash his noggin, he activated the blocks, causing several coins and a Super Leaf to spill out of them. He picked up the leaf, instantly taking on his Raccoon form. Making sure his raccoon ears and tail were there, as he was relatively new to costume-type power-ups, he made sure the path ahead was clear. He took a running start, and, when he was running fast enough, leaped into the air, arms spread, flew over the steep drop he probably wouldn't have seen.

He flew ahead of his friends, giving Mario the OK sign, who returned it. Concentrating on the flight ahead, he dodged a few Bullet Bills and Paratroopas, and dropped altitude to avoid running into some blocks.

He spotted the Toad beneath him and dropped to the ground in front of him, cutting him off and allowing the others to catch up.

The group sized him up. He was average-sized for a Toad, but he had a very dark gray cap with jet black spots. He also sported a black cape made for running, a black jacket-like suit, and black mask-like shades that completely hid his eyes. He smirked at the heroes.

"Sorry, pals," he sneered, "but Spore doesn't have time to chat. Got places to go, things to do, ya know."

But Mario wouldn't let him off the hook that easily. He approached Spore with a fireball forming in his hand. Spore shrugged. "Ya know, I'm too busy to fight wimps like you guys. Go play with someone else."

He dashed toward a vine and slid down it. "After him!" Mario and Toadstool simultaneously gave the order.

Dashing toward the vine, Mario, Luigi, the princess, and Toad took hold of the thick, green branch and proceeded to slide to the ground - even if it was a long way down.

* * *

As the plumbers slid down the vine, Spore chuckled silently as they passed right by him. He had descended the vine partway, then leaped off onto the cloud directly beneath the one he was originally on. He checked to see if his bag of loot was still with him. Good, it was still there. He had a mission to fulfill, and a goal to accomplish, and he wasn't stopping now.

Pulling a Magic Whistle from his pocket, he knew that he was getting closer to his goal. He played a tune on it, then let physics take over as he slowly vanished.

* * *

As he finished materializing a moment later, Spore found himself at Dark Land. Exactly where he needed to be. He saw a castle under construction in the distance. That was his destination.

He approached the castle, noting the pathway had steep dropoffs on either side, as well as lava pools at the start of the path. The castle itself was also on a cliff.

Spore traversed carefully up the pathway, the sound of banging hammers and orders being shouted filling his ears. Minutes later, he finally arrived. King Koopa was a little surprised to see him, to say the least.

"What in the world is a _Toad_ in his right mind doing at the construction site of Castle Koopa?!" he roared.

But Spore was not intimidated. "I propose an alliance," he stated.

Koopa was taken aback. No one had ever allied themselves with him, save his minions. "An alliance? From a fungus?" He was incredulous. "But Toads are supposed to be weak!"

"Not this one," Spore countered. "I, Spore, managed to give a certain mustachioed plumber the slip today."

Now Koopa face changed to one of amazement, then to curiosity. "What's in the bag?"

Spore glanced to the large bag he had brought along. "Oh, this thing? Just some stolen machinery I'm gonna use to help you defeat Mario."

Koopa leaned forward. "And how do you plan to do that?"

"Inside this here bag are bits and pieces of electronics and machinery those poor villager saps probably don't need anymore. I even stole a whole bunch of coins in case the princess tattles and I'm fined!"

"Just get to the point, Spore!" demanded an impatient Koopa.

"Oh, right! My master plan involves all of Mushroom Land's citizens."

"Go on," said Koopa, his interest being piqued.

"With these stolen parts, I'm gonna build me a machine that'll turn them all into your minions!" he bellowed.

"Brilliant plan!" exclaimed Koopa. "But what do you need _me_ for?"

"'Cause I can't gather all of Mushroom Land's Starmen alone," Spore replied.

"Starmen? I hope you're not in cahoots with Wart," growled Koopa.

"Wart? Wart who?" said a confused Spore.

"Someone I used to be in debt to," said Koopa. "Are the Starmen the power source for your machine?"

"Bingo."

King Koopa had to let out an evil laugh. "Then what are we waiting for? Get working on your machine, and I'll send my minions to gather your Starmen!"

As Koopa walked away, Spore opened the bag, a devious smile spreading across his features.

 _The ultimate bad guy team-up! Will Mario be able to find Spore in time? How long will it take Spore and Koopa to find all the Starmen? The answers to the questions and more next time, in_ _ **A Fungus Among Us!**_

* * *

 **A/N:** Spore is some character, isn't he? Although he is of AlphaWeasel's imagination, I imagine him as this story's version of Scourge the Hedgehog. Not much else to say here, so let's conclude this issue!

* * *

"Mama mia," said Mario, "it looks like we don't have any questions to answer this issue! But that's okay. Just send us your questions via the author's PM, and please follow the rules stated in Issue 1. Additionally, **you can now ask questions to Spore.** Until next time, everybody, do the Mario!"


	16. SMB Issue 16 (Feb 1991)

**A/N:** Hey guys, what's up? I've finally written a chapter longer than 3,000 words - the first since Issue 9! I've been trying to write longer chapters in this story, and I've finally pulled it off.

Enough self-congratulation, let's commence Part 3 of AlphaWeasel's story after these review replies!

* * *

 _ **animegamefanatic:** by the starmen do you mean the stars that give Mario and Luigi invincibility, or are they something like star children?_

 _Ha...that's interesting to make Salvador and Mario rivals XD (friendly rivals)_

 _I have a feeling Spore's not gonna be entirely loyal to Koopa...he might have bigger plans…_

 **I'm using the invincibility stars for this story. As the Star children first appeared in Yoshi's Island DS, don't expect anything about them until Issue 205.**

 **Well, maybe not friendly rivals per say… but definitely rivals nonetheless.**

 **As for Spore's intentions… Well, you'll just have to read on...**

* * *

 _I do not own anything in this fanfic except for any original content that I come up with. Mario belongs to Nintendo, which does not endorse or affiliate itself with this fanfic. Constructive criticism is allowed, but please, no flames._

And now, on to the comic!

* * *

 **A Fungus Among Us, Part 3: Star Hunt**

* * *

Confusion hit Mario as he neared the bottom of the vine that led back to Grass Land. How could Spore have possibly disappeared if he had descended the vine? Or was Spore so incredibly fast that Mario couldn't have seen him? He would ask his friends what they thought when they reached the ground.

Once Mario's feet touched the ground, he released his grasp on the vine. He stepped aside to allow his friends to finish their descent. Clearly they were just as confused as he was.

"We almost had him!" exclaimed Toad.

"I know," said Princess Toadstool. "But how in the world could he have just vanished the way he did?"

Something seemed to strike a chord with Mario, for he was now pacing the ground. "Vanished…"

"Uh-oh, here we go again…" Luigi pretended to groan. "Whenever he's in deep thought, there's no stopping him."

At last Mario paused long enough to share his thoughts. "All right, has many different ways of vanishing are there in Mushroom Land?"

"Well," started the princess, "there are warp pipes. They're all over the place."

"Yeah, but I didn't see any around the area we encountered Spore," noted Toad.

"Besides," added Luigi, "we clearly saw him go down the vine."

"Exactly," confirmed Mario. "What other means of vanishing are there?"

"Vanishing… Maybe that's a simpler way to say 'teleportation'?"

The princess' eyes widened in shock. "Toad, are you saying that Spore might have gotten his hands on a Magic Whistle?"

"I never thought of that," responded Toad. "That could be one of the many things he stole!"

"Do you realize how many coins a Magic Whistle costs?" said a bewildered Luigi.

"I know, Luigi," said Mario. "Obviously Spore wasn't in the mood to spend 1,500 coins on a rare magical artifact granting the use of teleportation. Which brings us to our next question: Where did Spore go?"

"He could be literally anywhere now," mused Toadstool. "He could have a secret hideout we don't know of. Or maybe-"

"Maybe he's working with Koopa!" interrupted Toad.

"Now that's a possibility," said Mario. "Since King Koopa is our primary threat, chances are Spore's working with him. What say we we see what's cooking at Dark Land?"

"Yeah!" agreed Luigi. "Let's all go to Dark Land and-"

"Now just a minute, boys," the princess stopped them. "We can't just walk into Dark Land like it's nobody's business and not expect Koopa to attack us. We need a plan."

"You're right, princess. Let's head home and formulate a strategy."

* * *

In Dark Land, Koopa sat back and watched as a troop of minions, mostly Koopas and Goombas, marched away from the castle and out of sight.

"That's the last of 'em," he chuckled. "Six hundred and thirty-four minions ought to be enough to get the job done. In fact, I'll bet they can even outperform that fungus who calls himself Spore! I wonder what he's up to, anyway?"

* * *

In Giant Land, Spore stared up at the enormous pipes and blocks as he pocketed another Starman.

"I know Mushroom Land like the back of my hand," he snickered. "I know all the best places to find Starmen. Maybe I'll find more than all of Koopa's minions combined!"

He leaped onto the giant block and drop-kicked a Grand Goomba that got too close to him. "Of course, ya can't hide from the local residents. What a shame."

He saw a twinkling in a nearby bush, darted over, and bagged the resulting Starman. "Good thing I already built the Mega Transformer before heading out. That'll save me loads of time. Oh dear, looks like there ain't any more Starmen here. On to the next land!"

* * *

Mario, Luigi, and Toad walked in through the front door of their house. The princess told them to go ahead of her, and that she would be right with them in a moment. What she was up to, the others didn't know. Of course, they knew better than to question a princess. Perhaps she would tell them later.

The door opened and in walked the princess. "Sorry, I was just speaking to a friend who lives down the street. Now, what's the best way to get into Dark Land undetected?"

"Surely there's a long-distance warp pipe that could take us there," said an optimistic Luigi.

"I like your thinking, Luigi, but Dark Land is an isolated place, and there are no long-distance pipes leading there."

"What if we used a Magic Whistle to get to Dark Land, just like Spore did?" asked Toad.

"Unfortunately, Toad, Magic Whistles are expensive, and-" Then she realized something. "My friend whom I was talking with told me that King Koopa deployed nearly all of his available forces for some kind of mission. We now have a much smaller risk if we enter Dark Land normally!"

"Excellent!" exclaimed Mario.

As they were heading out the door, Luigi asked, "That must have been some friend to give you information about Koopa. Who was he, anyway?"

But before the princess could answer, a sudden cry stopped them in their tracks.

"THERE HE IS!"

The group were shocked to see a few dozen villagers racing toward them. Toad started to cower behind the princess, while Mario and Luigi took defensive stances.

"That's him all right! That's the burglar who stole our machivery!" yelled one villager.

"He stole our money!" cried another.

"He stole my Magic Whistle!" exclaimed a third.

"Now just a minute!" Toadstool waved her arms for silence. "Toad is not the burglar!"

"Oh yeah? Well, we want proof!"

"And this photograph is all the proof we need!"

Just then, a few members of the Mushroom Parliament ran up. "What's going on here?" demanded one of the officials.

"We caught the culprit, sir," said a villager.

"And here's the evidence," another said, holding up one of the photocopied images.

After examining the photograph, he glanced at Toad, and said, "As much as we hate to do this, seeing you're affiliated with Mario, you'll have to come with us until we can gain more evidence."

As the Parliament officials took Toad away, the princess wiped away a few tears. "Boys… this is why I need to get my throne and my father back."

"I know, Princess," Mario tried to comfort her.

"It's almost as if my royalty doesn't matter without Father."

"Don't worry, Princess," said Luigi.

"The only way we can clear Toad's name is if we expose Spore," declared Mario. "Luigi, get the camera."

"Okey-dokey!"

As he ran back inside, the princess was distracted by someone standing not too far away. He was an elderly Toad, with a long, flowing gray beard and a white cap with light gray spots.

But what really got her attention was the look in the Toad's eyes. It was one of both kindness and sadness - much like one the princess had not known in a long time.

She was snapped back to reality when Luigi announced that he had the camera. "I'm ready!" he said.

"All right, then!" announced Mario. "Let's show Spore it's-a Mario time!"

"Let's-a go!" cheered Luigi.

But the princess looked back to where she saw the elderly Toad. He was gone.

* * *

Thirty minutes later saw the three advancing through an underground section of the outskirts of Pipe Land. Mario ducked under a brick hurled by a Buster Beetle only to jump over a fireball spewed by a Venus Fire Trap.

As Luigi advanced onward, Mario lingered back to speak with the princess. "Are you going to be okay?"

The princess sighed. "I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."

There was a pause. "It's about Toad, isn't it?" said Mario.

The princess leaped over a gap in the ground. "That, and something else I can't quite place my finger on."

"Something you saw?"

But they were interrupted by Luigi, who was standing atop a pipe ahead of them.

"Guys! Come see this!"

Mario and Toadstool raced ahead. A Buster Beetle threatened to smash a brick onto the princess but Mario stomped on it before any harm could be done. Soon the two were standing with Luigi.

"No way," groaned Mario.

"I don't believe it," added the princess.

"Exactly my thoughts," said Luigi. "Smashed bricks and activated ? Blocks - Spore was definitely here, too."

"And he still is. Look!"

The plumbers followed the princess' gaze to a distant pipe. Spore was standing underneath an overhanging pipe, and he had his bag with him.

"Now's our chance," whispered Mario. "Let's get him."

The three heroes slowly crept toward Spore. Fortunately, there were no enemies between them and their goal. Spore lifted the bag he was carrying - it seemed heavy, for he had some difficulty with it - and prepared to push it into the overhanging pipe which led back to the surface.

That's when he noticed Mario and friends.

"Didn't ya learn your lesson?" he demanded. "I'm a busy Toad, and I can't be disturbed! Waitaminute, how'd ya find me anyway?"

"Mostly by luck," answered Mario. "But if you don't mind, we're off to see what your accomplice King Koopa is up to."

"How did you know about that…" he muttered. "But nevermind that! Just scram! I've got work to do!" He returned to his bag.

"Oh no you don't!" exclaimed Luigi as he approached Spore. But suddenly electricity crackled through Spore's gloves, and a bolt of lightning shot from them to Luigi, sending him to the ground.

"Luigi!" Toadstool exclaimed as she rushed to his side.

"You're a persistent bunch, I'll give ya that," Spore said. "Say, where's that tag-along fungus who's always with you? Oh right, he got blamed instead of me!" he snickered. With one mighty heave, he pushed the bag into the pipe, allowing physics to do the rest.

Noticing the group's surprise, he went on. "You wonder how I know? I myself spread the rumor." Spore winked at them, even though no one could see it through his shades, before he prepared to leap into the pipe.

"You're not getting away this time!" exclaimed Mario as he ran toward the escaping Toad. However, he did not expect him to suddenly leap down from the pipe and kick him away.

"You're lucky I'm in no mood to play around. Well, I'd better be going. Bail out that mushroom brat… if you can!" Spore laughed as he leaped up the pipe.

Luigi sat up as the princess moved over to Mario. "Are you okay, Mario?"

"I'm fine," he said, rubbing his sore chest. "But I never knew a Toad could pack such a punch!"

"Or a shock," added Luigi. "I can almost still feel that tingling sensation."

"Well, we need to get moving," urged Toadstool. "Whatever Spore's up to, he must be stopped!"

"Everyone up the pipe!" ordered Mario as the princess went up first, then Luigi, and lastly Mario.

* * *

After scrambling up the pipe, Princess Toadstool surfaced, and took a look around. There was no sign of Spore anywhere. Confused, she got out of the pipe and stood aside to allow Luigi and Mario to emerge as well.

"Very strange," she noted.

"It's like he could disappear at a moment's notice!" said Luigi.

"I don't think he could have had another Magic Whistle," deducted Mario. "I've found out firsthand that those things are hard to get."

"Yeah, but in the end, they're worth it. One toot on those things will whisk you to a faraway land."

"Well, paisanos, now that we have nothing else to do, I'd say we resume our previous objective. Onward to Dark Land!"

* * *

An hour later, Spore trudged up the stone steps with his bag of loot. His job was exhausting, but he was finally about to reap his reward.

King Koopa stood there, arms crossed. "I see I was able to cover more ground than you."

"I admit that," answered Spore, wiping sweat from his brow, "but you weren't as thorough." Opening his bag, he proudly exclaimed, "Can you smell the victory?"

Koopa's eyes widened as he stared at all the glowing Starmen inside the bag. "Oh boy, this is gonna be so good! I bet Wart's rolling over in Subcon Land about now."

"No idea who this Wart guy is, but it sure sounds like you two were the best of buds," he said sarcastically. "Now, how many stars did ya get?"

"Less that you did," Koopa responded, bringing over several smaller bags.

"Good, good!" Spore was filled with enthusiasm as he opened the bags, revealing the shining, twinkling Starmen. He then reached over to a switch at the side of the machine he had built and activated it. A low hum filled the air as the machine powered up. When it was at full power, Spore placed the bags near the machine, and stood back as the Starmen floated out of the bags one by one, and hovered over the machine. The machine then began to glow brilliantly.

Then it happened.

A wave of energy surged from the machine, travelling faster than Mario could say "ravioli", and spread throughout all of Mushroom Land before dissipating. Koopa and Spore were laughing maniacally now; they knew they had won.

Before they knew it, the first villagers started appearing in the distance. They were no longer Toads, as most of them were, but instead Goombas, Koopas, Shy Guys, Lakitus – you name it, that's what they were.

They gradually increased in number until there were hundred going on thousands of new minions marching their way. They appeared to be chanting something, but they were still far away, and Koopa couldn't quite make out what they were saying.

Koopa was now laughing his head off. "That was magnificent, Spore! Now my army is maybe five times its original size! I ought to make you my second-in-command!"

As the new army drew nearer, Spore and Koopa could now hear their chant, and Koopa's laughter died in his throat.

"All hail Spore! All hail Spore! All hail Spore!"

"...What happened…" was all King Koopa could mutter.

" _I_ happened, Koopa," said Spore. "You see, I took advantage of your gullibility. I knew you would want a mastermind accomplice at your side, but I had other plans. As you can see, I no longer need your services. You were helpful enough to me. Now, if you'll kindly look behind you."

Reluctantly Koopa turned back to his castle, and saw his minions streaming out the doors. But instead of supporting their one-time leader, they were approaching Spore.

"All hail Spore! All hail Spore!"

"Yes," said Spore, his voice filled with glee, "all hail Spore. This includes you, big guy."

Turning to the castle, he said, "Not only do I have all of Mushroom Land at my beck and call, but I also have a sweet castle to boot!"

"No! Not my home!"

"Yes. Your home. Actually, my home now. I hope a friend has a place for you to stay. But for now, I've got work to do."

Spore turned back to the amassing crowds in front of the castle. Clearing his throat, he addresses them.

"Attention, minions! I thank you for joining forces with the winning side. As we all know, the one everyone calls Super Mario was going to rid us of King Koopa away. And since he hates Koopa, he hates any minions of Koopa. And since you are all in the likeness of Koopa's former minions, he will try to attack you. Now go forth, and rid my kingdom of him and his unforgiving friends!"

 _Mushroom Land's greatest threat yet has risen - and not even King Koopa can stop him! Toad is framed, and Mario, Luigi, and Princess Toadstool are our last hopes! Can they stop Spore and save the kingdom? And who is this mysterious Toad? Come back next time for the thrilling conclusion of **A Fungus Among Us**!_

* * *

 **A/N:** Oh boy… Everyone's in a pickle now, aren't they? Well, the bad guys certainly aren't. Anyway, Luigi's quip about Magic Whistles is based on Toad's description on them from Super Mario Bros. 3. Not much else to say here, so let's move on to Ask the Mario Characters!

* * *

"Hey, paisanos," said Mario, "it's time for **Ask the Mario Characters**! Where you, the readers, get to send us questions and dares, and we'll answer them and act them... if we feel like it. Today we've got a couple of questions from **Spyrorocks389**!"

"It's been a while since we got questions," noted Luigi.

"Yes, since Issue 12," amended Mario. "Now remember, as usual: No loopholes. The Loophole Police are watching us like an Albatoss. Okay, first question is for King Koopa and the Koopalings: **What really you like while sick**?

"Uh… I don't quite know what you meant by this question," said King Koopa. "Could it be "What are you really like while sick?' Or maybe 'What do you like when you're sick?'"

"Let's go with the first one," decided Mario.

"And besides," added Cheatsy, "Which definition of sick?"

"Could it mean 'ill' or 'insane'?" wondered Kooky.

"He probably meant 'ill', but we'll probably hear from him about this," said Mario.

"Well," started Koopa, "being sick is no good. Being insane is awesome. But when I'm sick, I act just the same as anyone who's sick. But you know who's really sick? Mario. Why, he's so sick he's-"

"Okay, I think that's enough," Mario waved his hands for silence. "Demotivational speeches are not allowed. It's in our contract." He cleared his throat. "Next question is for Spore. **What's your big plan**? Yeah, I'm curious, Spore. What is your plan?"

"Come on now, ya wouldn't expect me to divulge _all_ my secrets, now would ya?" countered the Toad in black. "B'sides, it was already revealed in this issue. And boy, Mushroom Land is gonna be _mine_."

"Not if we have anything to say about it," said Princess Toadstool.

"And last question," announced Mario. "To Luigi: **I dare you….to give Mario a great big bear hug!** "

"Luigi time!" he exclaimed as he rushed over to Mario. Mario braced himself for the hug as Luigi came in and prepared to squeeze his innards out.

"That's… gross," said the princess.

"That wasn't my fault!" said the Toad in the sound booth.

After a few moments, Luigi finally let go of Mario, who looked as if he ran into a boa constrictor.

"Wow," said Luigi, "I guess I didn't realize my own strength. Tough love, eh?"

"The puns! They burn!" whimpered Mario.

Then he suddenly sat up again. "Just kidding, it wasn't _that_ bad."

"Maybe there should be a Pun Police as well," thought Koopa.

"Until next time, everybody, do the Mario!"


	17. SMB Issue 17 (Mar 1991)

**A/N:** Hey guys, what's up? This will probably be the last chapter I begin with "Hey guys, what's up?", as it seems to limit anything else I have to say.

Also, has anyone else noticed that, since was down, they no longer require the four-digit code underneath the password? Since I happen to be a huge LEGO fan, I catch myself looking up the corresponding set number for the code displayed. :P

Also, this is the second longest chapter in this story so far!

Without further ado, let's kick off the conclusion to AlphaWeasel's "A Fungus Among Us"!

* * *

 _ **animegamefanatic:** I KNEW IT! BETRAYAL!_

 _Darn it people! You can't just point the finger at toad! What about all the other toads who look like him!? couldn't you give him a chance to clear his name, not just because he knows Mario but because of his deeds? They even passed over Princess and Luigi...now that's just rude._

 _Sal and Mario not so much the friendly rivals huh...Sal seemed to be on good terms with them...then again I can see tension given how Mario was willing to give up his own life in NY for a world different from theirs. and maybe more..._

 _*grabs popcorn* all and all, this is getting good!_

 **I'm sure the Mushroom Parliament didn't want to take any chances, though - mass burglary is a big no-no in Mushroom Land. Also, as shown in the previous issue, Spore himself spread the rumor that Toad was the culprit. How will this end?**

* * *

 _ **breath20k:** Amazing! I hope Toad is going to be alright._

 _Great work!_

 **I hope so too. And thanks!**

* * *

 _ **YumaCDeSennMC:** Ooohh... This can't be good..._

 **Just so you know for the next time, I don't accept questions/dares posted in the reviews.**

* * *

 _I do not own anything in this fanfic except for any original content that I come up with. Mario belongs to Nintendo, which does not endorse or affiliate itself with this fanfic. Constructive criticism is allowed, but please, no flames._

And now, on to the comic!

* * *

 **A Fungus Among Us, Part 4: Against All Odds**

* * *

At last, Mario, Luigi, and Princess Toadstool crossed Mushroom Land's border with Dark Land. There was no turning back now. They had come too far to give up.

They ran through the molten wasteland, dodging Podoboos and various other traps that were set up. Clearly King Koopa was no slouch when it came to the anti-plumber equipment.

That was when Mario realized something.

"Hey, where are all the enemies?"

"You know, I was just thinking the same thing," confirmed the princess as she leaped over another lava pit. "This isn't like Koopa to not have any minions around."

"You're right," said Luigi. Then he froze in his tracks. "You guys hear that?"

"Hear what?" asked the princess as they strained to hear whatever it was that Luigi was hearing. The sound became louder as it came closer, and it soon became clear it sounded like chanting.

"Just what is Koopa up to?" Mario audibly wondered as he dared to get closer. He crept up to a nearby rock, waited for a moment, and then glanced past the rock. He saw something he wished he hadn't.

He beckoned Luigi and Toadstool to his side as they watched a seemingly infinite number of minions marching by. The heroes almost couldn't hold back a gasp as they saw Spore leading them. And there wasn't a single minion who wasn't chanting "All hail Spore!".

"Mama mia…" breathed Mario.

"This is definitely more than we bargained for," whispered Toadstool.

"If these are Spore's minions," asked Luigi, "then where are Koopa's minions?"

"There's more to this than we know," said Mario. "We need to talk to King Koopa."

"Agreed," said the princess. When they were sure the army would not detect them, they continued their trek to Castle Koopa.

"Look, he's coming to meet us!" Luigi gestured to the stone stairs that led to to the construction zone. Sure enough, the Koopa king was descending them, approaching the heroes.

"Be ready for anything," warned Mario. "Koopa can be unpredictable."

Mario and his friends continued their approach toward the massive flight of steps that Koopa was descending. A few moments later they met at the bottom of the stairs.

Then Koopa did something that took Mario by surprise.

He got down on his knees and began to beg Mario for help!

"Please, Mario, you gotta help me!" he begged. "That fungus stole all the Starmen in Mushroom Land and used them to turn everyone into his minions! Including my own minions!"

Mario crossed his arms. "Give us one good reason why we should help you," he said.

"I-I can give you two!" Koopa stammered. "He's going to take over the kingdom, and what kind of tyrant am I if I have no minions or kingdom to rule over?"

Mario turned to the others so they could talk amongst themselves.

"He has a point," realized the princess.

"Yeah," agreed Luigi. "Spore has every single citizen of Mushroom Land under his command, and at this rate, he'll be way harder to beat than Koopa any day."

Mario nodded. Turning back to Koopa, he said, "We accept, Koopa. But how will we know you're not tricking us?"

Koopa scowled. "If I was tricking you, I would have brought several of my minions along."

Mario could still hear the chant of Spore's new minions in the distance., and knew he and his friends had to take action. They knew they had to team up with Koopa in order to stop the greatest threat to the land. They had to defeat Spore and save Mushroom Land as they knew it.

"Fair point," said Mario.

"Follow me," ordered Koopa as he started up the steps.

"We're seriously going to check out your castle?" gaped Luigi.

"Not 'check out', as you so flippantly put it, Green Stache. No, we're going to my throne room to discuss a strategy and keep an eye on that traitorous mushroom at the same time."

As they neared the top of the stairs, they were able to see every detail of the currently-incomplete Castle Koopa. It looked eerie without the minions at work.

Clearly the throne room was one of the only completed rooms, for there was a staircase that led to said room. The rest of the castle was bare bones.

Suddenly a few Koopa Troopas emerged from seemingly nowhere and charged at them.

"Great," moaned Koopa. "I should have known that barbaric fungus would have left some guard to lock me out of my own castle. My own home!"

But as he was complaining, Mario and Luigi were already stomping on their shells and kicking them into the others.

Instead of thanking them, King Koopa just started walking toward the staircase.

"Would it kill you to say "thank you"?" said an annoyed Luigi.

"I'm allergic to humble pie," retorted King Koopa as he neared the top of the stairs.

"It wouldn't hurt to try it," suggested the princess.

They finally reached the throne room, and the first thing Koopa did was look out the window to see where Spore was.

"There he is, that pathetic wimp," he mumbled as he spotted his enemy.

"Can I have a look?" Mario asked as he came closer.

"No!" exclaimed Koopa as he turned on Mario. "I don't want you getting too comfortable with this alliance, okay?" Turning back to the window, he continued to spy on Spore. "He's stopped. Apparently he's rallying my troops and your people to do something. Now he's on the move."

He then turned back to the heroes. "Mario, go stop Spore!" he ordered.

"Me?! Alone?" Mario was confused.

"Yes, you, alone!" Koopa shouted. "I'm the evil tyrant around here, I wear the pants in this alliance (metaphorically), and whatever I say goes! Now hop to it!"

Mario shrugged and started heading out of the castle. "Some alliance," he muttered.

"You two, come with me!" Koopa ordered, starting for the stairs himself.

"Where are we going?" asked Luigi as he turned to follow Koopa.

"Spore's machine is controlling the minions!" explained Koopa. "If we can shut it down, we can return my minions and your people to normal."

But the princess was distracted by what looked like a blueprint on a nearby table. Printed across the top was "Project Koopa". But before she could get a good look at it, a sudden breeze blew the blueprint off the table.

"Hey, Princess! Are you coming or what?" came Koopa's voice from the stairs.

"Coming," she replied as she hastily made her way to the staircase. Whatever Project Koopa was, it would have to wait for now.

A minute later, the three emerged through the front door pf the castle, and King Koopa led the way to the side of the castle.

"Now, Spore's machine is powered by Starmen - must have been hundreds - so if you can destroy the machine or extract the Starmen, then I can-"

He trailed off as he saw the machine. There were dozens of Hammer Bros, Goombas, and Lakitus. Some of them were manning cannons and Bill Blasters.

"A Koopa king just can't get a break, can he?" Koopa sighed.

"Tell us about it," said Toadstool as she prepared for battle.

"We can't just stand around," Luigi stated, cracking his knuckles. "Mario would want us to take these bad guys down!"

"You're right, Luigi," the princess answered. "Let's take them down!"

* * *

Mario ran down the stairs that led away from the castle. He was more than determined to stop Spore. Whoever he was, Spore would stop at nothing to conquer Mushroom Land. It made no sense. Why would someone he had never known to exist before suddenly show up and attempt to conquer the land with ease? What would happen if Spore did succeed? If only Mario knew the answer to these questions...

Then he stopped. What on Earth was he doing?! He knew he couldn't take on thousands of minions single-handedly. And Spore himself, although protected, wasn't without his own weapons.

Mario might not have wanted to admit it, but he was stuck. He didn't know what to do. It was foolhardy to take on Spore alone, but if he returned to the castle, then who would stop Spore?

Then something caught his eye. There was fighting at the castle. Surely his friends had to be involved. Now he was really stuck. Should he attempt to stop Spore, and risk his friends getting hurt? Or should he help his friends at the cost of a the kingdom?

Mario made up his mind.

Turning back to the stairs, he ascended them as fast as his legs could carry him. He would never ditch his friends, not at any cost. If Spore conquered the kingdom, so be it, but his friends would be safe.

One more question crossed his mind as he neared the top of the stairs: Who were his friends fighting? Things wouldn't end well if they were fighting Koopa. Or what if-

Then he heard a noise behind him. Turning to look, he saw dozens of Paratroopas and Lakitus flying at him. Spore had seen him. As he hurried up the stairs, he felt stupid about not questioning Koopa's order sooner, and now he was about to pay for it.

* * *

"I don't know how much more of this we can take!"

Luigi dodged more cannonballs, then backflipped over a Bullet Bill before landing on a few Goombas.

"Just hang in there, Luigi," reassured the princess. "The more enemies we beat, the fewer there are!"

She kicked a Koopa's shell at several Goombas, then gasped as a Hammer Bro approached Luigi and threw his hammer at him. Luigi was knocked out as the hammer landed next to him.

"Luigi!" she cried as she bent down to tend to the wound. But Koopa was snickering.

"You two are such wimps," he guffawed. "Here, watch a professional do it!"

King Koopa marched right up to the first group of enemies and began shoving the Goombas and Koopas out of the way. "See? It's easy!"

But he spoke too soon, as a platoon of Shy Guys ran up to the Koopa king and soon had him pinned to the ground.

The princess looked around. She was the only one not out of commission. Where was Mario when she needed him?

Then came the voice of the mustchioed plumber in red behind her:

"Heads up! We've got company!"

Now that was a relief. Well, the company part wasn't. Mario was safe and sound, thank goodness, but there was a swarm of enemies right behind him.

Seeing the enemies in front of him, Mario suddenly had an idea. He positioned himself between the two groups of enemies, looking both ways to make sure both groups were approaching him.

"That's it! Come closer!"

"Mario! What are you doing?!" called an alarmed Toadstool.

"Don't worry, Princess! I know what I'm doing!"

"You're an even bigger fool than I thought, Mario," groaned King Koopa from under the platoon of Shy Guys.

But Mario ignored him. He carefully waited until the last second and then leaped out of harm's way, looking back to see the carnage he had caused.

The Paratroopas and Lakitus had crashed into the other enemies, knocking each other out in the process.

"Oh yeah! It's-a Mario time!"

But then he noticed the princess was bent over Luigi.

"Mama mia," he breathed. "Is he going to be okay?"

"It looks like a flesh wound. Nothing serious," responded the princess.

"Mario!" Koopa warned. "More minions are coming!"

Now Mario knew he didn't have much time to do what he needed to do. In fact, he didn't even know what his objective was! All he knew to do was defeat all the enemies in the area.

Toadstool seemed to notice Mario's confusion. "Mario, see that machine over there?"

Mario glanced in the direction the princess was pointing in. "That one?"

"Yes. We need you to destroy or deactivate it. We believe it's what transformed everyone into Spore's minions. Now hurry! We're all counting on you!"

Responsibility was placed on Mario's shoulders as he faced the enemies. There were only a few dozen of them between him and the machine. Then there were also a few cannons. What was the most effective way to destroy the machine?

Then Mario saw it: A Bob-omb was among the ranks. Perfect. The plumber race forward, his mind on one thing only: get to that Bob-omb and light it up.

He stomped on a Koopa Troopa that got too close to him, then kicked its shell at a line of Goombas. It ricocheted off one of the castle's support beams and hit the Shy Guys swarming King Koopa, causing them to scatter. The Koopa king got to his feet and watched Mario take out minions left and right.

He bounced off a few cannonballs that were hurtling his way, then landed right on top of the Bob-omb. The sudden pressure on the explosive caused it to automatically light its fuse. Then Mario saw that he was suddenly surrounded by the remaining enemies, thus cutting him off from the machine.

Finding that he was now closer to Koopa than the machine, as the minions were forcing him back, Mario called out to Koopa. "Koopa! You're our only hope! Throw this Bob-omb as hard as you can at the machine!"

Koopa did not hesitate to accept. "Yes! Anything to stop that fungus!"

Mario took a deep breath. Then, with a cry of "Let's-a go!" he let the Bob-omb fly from his hands with just enough force that it would reach King Koopa.

And reach Koopa it did. He caught it with both hands. The catch was so beautiful, it would have been televised back home in Brooklyn.

Then, with such precision Mario did not know was possible within Koopa, he hurled the explosive with all his might at the machine, while Mario began fighting his way out from among the minions. He just barely made it out when there was a terrific explosion.

 _KA-BOOOOOOOOM!_

Mario turned around to see that parts of the machine had flown everywhere, miraculously not hitting Koopa or any of the heroes. Many of the enemies were taken out by the explosion. But what really caught Mario's eye was the immensely bright glow coming from what was left of the machine.

That was when Luigi started to regain consciousness. He opened his eyes, and sat up, squinting at the bright light. "That hammer is gonna leave a mark... Did we win?"

"Yes, Luigi, I believe we did!" responded the princess as she watched the hundreds of Starmen fly out of the broken machine and scatter across Mushroom Land. About half of the minions began glowing, but the brightness of this glow paled in comparison to the glow that was coming from far below, where Spore's army was.

A moment later, the glowing subsided, and the minions that did glow changed back into their original forms. It was quite a sight to see villagers hanging around Castle Koopa, but this was not their decision. The minions that didn't glow walked over to King Koopa and chanted in unison: "All hail Koopa!"

The three heroes looked down at Spore's former army. The minions that had changed back were heading back to the village. The rest of the minions were approaching the castle to support their true leader.

"What happened to Spore?" Luigi brought up the question of the hour.

Princess Toadstool realized that Spore could have made a clean getaway during the commotion. "He could be anywhere by now," she said. "He's bound to turn up again, even if we barely know him."

Mario then turned to King Koopa. "So... does this make us friends?" he asked sincerely.

Koopa was incredulous. "Friends?!" he exclaimed. "No way! We're fiends 'til the end!"

Mario shrugged off his response. "Until we meet again," he said. He turned to his friends. "Let's go."

Mario started for the stairs, then the princess followed, then Luigi. They headed to one side of the stairs to allow Koopa's minions to pass them on their way up. As they continued down the stairs, they could hear Koopa give the order to continue building the castle.

"At this rate, the castle could be completed next month," remarked Toadstool.

"And we'll be ready for whatever Koopa has in store for us," announced Luigi

* * *

The three heroes entered the village. Surely threre was more than enough evidence to clear Toad's name. If even the Parliament Toads were transformed into minions, then Toad would have to be innocent.

Then the moment came. Two Mushroom Parliament Toads approached them. With them was none other than Toad.

One bof the Toads spoke up. "We are truly sorry for arresting your friend on impulse," he said. "We couldn't take any chances. We know now that he is innocent."

"We never had the chance to question him before we were transformed," said the other Toad. "We were also foolish enough to believe the rumor that your friend Toad did it."

"And we learned that none other than the burglar was behind the rumor," said the princess.

"What?!" Even Toad was shocked at this news.

"Yes," confirmed Mario. "The burglar told us himself."

"His name is Spore." Luigi then began to give the Parliament Toads a basic description of Spore. Princess Toadstool looked around to see if she could get a glimpse of the elderly Toad she saw earlier. He wasn't there. She knew she wasn't dreaming when she saw him.

"Thank you," said one of the Parliament Toads. "We will do everything we can to stop Spore."

"Thank you," thanked the princess.

"One, nothing, Team Mario!" said Mario. "If Spore really wants to conquer the kingdom, he'll have to up his game."

"But he'll never win, not when we're around. Right, Mario?"

"That's right!" The two high-fived as the princess looked on in amusement.

"I wouldn't underestimate him," she said. "He did, after all, have everything he needed to conquer the kingdom. He is very sneaky, and therefore just as dangerous. But for now... why don't we enjoy lunch?"

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Mario?"

"Burger Shroom?"

"Yeah! I hear their new Superstar Cheeseburger is on the house for the first week!"

"I can already taste it... Mama mia, the flavors..."

"And then there's the Mushroom Shakes..." said Toad.

And so the four heroes meandered to their favorite restaurant, not knowing that they were being watch by a figure in the shadows. This wasn't the elderly figure the princess saw. No, it was someone a bit more sinister. This particular toad was wearing shades and a cloak.

"Just you wait," he whispered. "You may have bested me the first time, but you haven't seen the last of Spore. I still have one more little plan up my sleeve..."

 _The Mario Brothers may have defeated Spore, but this isn't the end of their adventures! Just who is this elderly Toad? And what will Mario's next adventure be? Find out next time, in_ _ **Cracking the Koopa Code**!_

* * *

 **A/N:** That. Was. Thrilling! An amazing plot from AlphaWeasel indeed. Actually, he only came up with the alliance, the stealing of the Starmen, and the mass army parts. I added the framing of Toad and the burglar parts. Also, that bit at the end is a shoutout to breath20k's Mushroom Kingdom Adventures! It is a fun story to read, and a relief from all the other serious stories out there.

* * *

"Hey, paisanos," said Mario, "it's time for **Ask the Mario Characters**! Where you, the readers, get to send us questions and dares, and we'll answer them and act them... if we feel like it. Today's Q&Ds are from **breath20k**!

"Oh joy," groaned Koopa.

"Is he that bad, Koopa?" asked Toadstool.

"So bad he's good," answered the Koopa king. "It's all burgers, Glitz Pit, and Mario Kart. I'm too good to be bad, and while Lakitu probably makes others pay for their burgers, we have to spin a wheel to get a narcissistic burger we may or may not want."

"Koopa, it's not _that_ bad!" admonished the princess, trying to hold back a giggle. "breath20k does an amazing job telling the story of our day-to-day lives."

"Plus, Dragon Puncher's an awesome guy," added Luigi.

"All right," continued Mario, "Our question of this issue is for me: **What is your plan to stop Spore?** I may not have to answer this one, as the question was already answered this issue. But for a future encounter with Spore? Well, it all depends on circumstances."

"I'm right here, ya know," piped up Spore. "If ya keep giving away your strategies, you're gonna make me harder for ya to beat!"

"I didn't give anything away, did I?" wondered Mario.

"Uh... no, ya didn't..."

"Good. Today's dare is for Luigi: **I dare you to a game of Roshambo with Koopa.**

"Roshambo..." pondered Luigi. "That's the rock-paper-scissors-like game from Paper Mario: Color Splash, isn't it?"

"Super Roshambo," corrected Toad, "and it's almost like martial arts."

"Soon to become a major motion picture," heckled Triclyde.

"So here are the rules," explained Mario. "Both participants get three cards. One for rock, one for paper, and one for scissors. They are placed face down."

"Done that," said Koopa.

"After that the referee will exclaim "Ro-Sham-Bo!", and at "Bo!", the participants choose one card each. The standard rock-paper-scissors rules apply: rock breaks scissors, scissors cuts paper, and paper covers rock. Are you both ready?"

"Ready!" Luigi and Koopa exclaimed.

"All right then!"

Mario waited a moment before announcing the first part:

"Ro..."

Luigi and Koopa looked at the cards, hoping they would choose the right one. This game was not just luck, but also skill.

"Sham..."

No one in the room spoke. The competitors' minds were focused on one thing, and one thing only: draw the card at Mario's signal.

And then...

The moment came.

"BO!"

Like lightning, the competitors flipped over one card each.

"And with that, Koopa gets rock, while Luigi gets paper! Luigi wins!"

Suddenly a cheering sound played over the speakers.

"Sorry!" apologized the Toad in the sound booth. "But there isn't a single Super Roshambo game that doesn't have a cheering audience."

"I'll get you next time, I promise!" said Koopa.

"Readers, check out breath20k's Mushroom Kingdom Adventures, and, until next time, everybody, do the Mario!"


	18. SMB Issue 18 (Apr 1991)

**A/N:** Starting with this arc, things are going to start picking up as we get closer to the first milestone issue. And I'll tell you this: to be honest, I think this story's first milestone issue is better than the first Sonic milestone issue. And not just because I'm not Ken Penders. :P

Also, happy (belated) Mar10 Day, everyone!

I too saw the Nintendo Direct, and while I'm not a Super Smash Bros. player, I'm happy for those who are excited for the next installment. I also couldn't help but notice the number of ports and remakes they showed off. The one I'm particularly interested in is the Bowser's Inside Story remake. I thought they'd do a Partners in Time remake first, but still, I'm excited.

All right, let's kick off this new arc after these reviews!

* * *

 _ **animegamefanatic:** The Koopa Project...I have a feeling that's what Koopa's been planning before Spore overthrew him...but then again...it could end up being a battle saga...similar to Sonic when he defeated his robotnik in the original archie sonic comics. but that's just a guess, time to play the waiting game and see._

 _Spore...what could you be up to._

 **Ah, like Sonic Issue 50 and the Ultimate Annihilator? From what I heard, that was a good story. I'll have to get around to reading it. As for the battle saga potential... well, you'll just have to wait and see ;)**

* * *

 _ **NormanWhitesmith:** I enjoy this and it's well written in a comic book style, but easy to follow. Great job! But one question I have for the fungus among us story is why weren't the heroes turned into minions too?_

 **Thanks! And sorry about not including that information in the last issue. It will be included this issue.**

* * *

 _ **YumaCDeSennMC:** Forgive me, I forgot about that detail. I'll PM you an updated dare then in a bit. Teehee_

 _Anyway, This was an awesome issue! Quite a bit of action, sprinkled with drama and the right amount of humor mixed in. Eee, I love this!_

 _Also, Mushroom Shakes. Yes._

 **Thanks! And yes, we all need Mushroom Shakes. I'd recommend reading breath20k's Mushroom Kingdom Adventures to see what else Burger Shroom has to offer ;)**

* * *

 _ **Guest:** This was a good chapter_

 **Thanks!**

* * *

 _I do not own anything in this fanfic except for any original content that I come up with. Mario belongs to Nintendo, which does not endorse or affiliate itself with this fanfic. Constructive criticism is allowed, but please, no flames._

And now, on to the comic!

* * *

 **Cracking the Koopa Code, Part 1: Princess on a Mission**

* * *

It had been a whole month since the Spore takeover. Already life in Mushroom Land had returned to normal. In fact, some of the villagers had even forgotten about Spore.

But not King Koopa. He still wanted revenge on him... if he could find him first. But no, it would have to wait. There were more important thingson his agenda. One of those things was getting rid of Mario and his pesky friends once and for all. But even that had to wait, at least for today.

Today was a big day for Koopa. It was the day that Castle Koopa was finally completed. The Koopa king settled into his throne, satisfied with the fruit of his labors. He had spent nearly a year building this monstrosity. Even with hundreds of minions, ten months was a long time. It was hard to keep it a secret from Mario for so long, so he _had_ to drop a few hints every now and then.

 _*See Issues 4, 8, and 13._

Now, Koopa looked on as his minions were bringing in another load of supplies and equipment from another one of his camps. Now that he had built a permanent settlement for himself, the Koopalings, and his massive army, he believed he no longer needed his camps. Good thing he had a lot of minions, because he had a lot of camps - ninety-four, to be exact. While he never visited all of these camps, he stationed at fifteen minions at each one, to further prove his dominance in Mushroom Land.

The three special minions that made up Koopa's personal Koopa Pack entered the throne room, having just overseen another shipment of camp supplies.

"You never told us, boss," said McKoopa, "how did you avoid being turned into a minion by Spore?"

"Normally I'd tell you three to get back to work," answered Koopa, "but since I'm feeling generous, I'll tell you. (Also, the readers want to know.)"

He leaned back in his throne. "You know how Mario and his too-good friends have the ability to use Starmen against us."

They nodded in understanding.

"And you also know how I used all kinds of power-ups against them in the real world.

 _*As seen in the SMB3 episode "Super Koopa"!_

They nodded again.

"After using the Starmen, the five of us still had a remnant of Star energy in us, which prevented Spore's machine from changing us into his minions. And I suppose Spore himself also used a Starman at some point as well."

Koopa promptly stood up. "This is why I call for an increase in security - so that nothing like that will ever happen again!"

"That's our boss!" the Koopa Pack cheered.

Just then, two Goombas carrying a purple dresser entered the throne room. "Where do you want it, boss?"

Koopa sighed in frustration. Running an army certainly wasn't easy. "No, you blundering fungi! The dresser is for Kootie Pie's room!"

""…That's the room next to Kooky's lab, right?"

"Sigh… No, it's around the corner from there, across from Hip and Hop's room, first door on the right. You can't miss it!"

"Right away, boss!"

As they left with the dresser, Koopa turned back to his minions. "What say we kidnap the princess again, shall we?"

"Actually, boss," said Mouser, "I was thinking maybe we could capture Mario and Luigi instead."

"Oh?" Koopa was intrigued. "Why is that?"

"Because," piped up Triclyde, "the princess and Toad are helpless without them."

"Oh," the Koopa king realized, "That's very good. Brilliant!"

"So who do you have in mind to capture them?" asked McKoopa, hoping Koopa would choose them.

"I think I'll send the Koopalings to get them, because they're so much more skilled than many of my other minions."

"What about us, boss?" wondered Mouser.

"You three are going to supervise my top-secret project," decided Koopa.

"Oh boy!" cheered McKoopa.

"Let's go!" exclaimed Triclyde as the Koopa Pack left the room.

Turning toward the window, Koopa grinned an evil grin. "It's only a matter of time, Mario…"

* * *

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and thank you for coming tonight.…"

Mario was giving a speech at the grand opening of Princess Toadstool's charity garden. Its goal was to give plants and fruit to those in need. Normally the princess would give the speech, but she had told him that she had certain matters to attend to, so Mario would give the speech instead.

As he spoke, his mind began to drift. Just what was the princess up to? And why all the secrecy? Did she know something he didn't?

It took the sound of someone coughing near him to snap him back to reality. Fortunately, he was almost done his speech, so in a few minutes, he could talk to Luigi and Toad about the princess' strange behavior.

"…With that, I declare the Mushroom Kingdom Charity Garden officially open!"

His last statement was met with great cheering as the audience began to proceed toward the greenhouse doors that Toad had just opened. Mario knew that now was the time he could talk to his friends about the princess.

He saw Luigi standing near one of the barriers, and Toad approaching them.

"So… anyone else wondering about the princess?" asked Luigi.

"I was almost distracted by her during the speech," admitted Mario.

"So you're saying you're in _love_ with her?" teased Luigi.

"N-no," blushed Mario.

"I know you; the way you and she talked during and after the Spore incident is proof enough." Luigi couldn't help but grin.

"Anyway," Mario said, desperate to change the subject, "The princess is up to something, and I want to find out what it is."

"Just out of curiosity, did anyone happen to see where the princess was during the speech?" asked Luigi

"Yes," replied Toad. "She was in her private tent, apparently so she could listen to the speech while she was doing whatever she's doing."

"Makes sense," said Mario. "Say, is that her tent over there?" Mario pointed to a small pink tent set up not too far away.

"Yes, it is," confirmed Toad. "In fact, it's the same one used during the annual picnic."

 _*See Issue 3._

"Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's see if we can learn something!"

"Eh, I really don't think we should," cautioned a wary Luigi. "I mean, she _is_ the princess, after all, and she... you know..."

"He does have a point, Mario," agreed Toad. "Maybe a better opportunity will arise when-"

They looked up. A figure was moving rapidly away from the grand opening area. The group's eyes widened when the realized it was the-

"Princess!" they all exclaimed as they hurried after her.

"Princess, what's up?" asked Mario once he got close enough to her. "Care to talk about it?"

"Sorry, I can't talk now," she hurriedly replied. "I've got an urgent private matter. Don't follow me. I'll talk later."

At that, the princess continued on her way. The group did nothing but watch as she left.

"So... what now?" Mario said.

"It can't be royal duty," thought Toad. "She hasn't been a real princess in years." Even though she had lost the throne due to the lack of money, everyone still called her the princess. She never said otherwise.

"I say we follow her."

Luigi looked surprised. "What?! Are you kidding, Mario? She clearly told us not to follow her, and her you think you can-"

"Maybe it's not such a bad idea," spoke Toad, "as long as we wait about ten to twenty minutes first."

"I don't know if I can wait that long," sighed Mario, "but okay."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Mario decided the wait was long enough.

"I don't know about you two, but I'm dying to find out what she's up to. Who's with me?"

"Mario," Luigi said, almost sternly. "She clearly said-"

"Suit yourselves."

With that, he began to leave. Luigi turned to Toad.

"What's gotten into him?" he audibly wondered.

"His curiosity is consuming him!" declared Toad. "I'm going with him to set him straight."

"What?!"

Luigi knew he couldn't be left behind; and besides, the peer pressure was getting to him. He made up his mind.

"Fine, I'll go," he said half-heartedly.

He followed Toad and Mario in the direction they saw the princess going.

* * *

Five minutes later, Mario reached his destination: home sweet home. Looking back, he saw Toad and Luigi coming up behind him.

"Let's be extra quiet now," cautioned Mario as he crept over to the window and peered in.

"What do you see?" asked Toad.

"Well, the princess is in there all right... she's got a cup of tea, and it looks like there are several sheets of paper on the table..."

"Can you make out what's on them?" wondered Luigi.

"No, not at this angle."

Luigi and Toad then decided to look through the window as well.

"Well, she's periodically glancing at the clock," noted Toad.

"Maybe she's expecting someone?"

"Duck!" Toad whispered as loudly as he dared. The three dropped to their hands and knees - even though Toad doesn't have knees.

"What was it?" Mario asked.

"She was just turning toward the window," recalled Toad. "Good thing she didn't see us."

"Well, the time is in our favor," said Mario. "It's almost ten now, so it'll be hard for the princess to see us."

"Yeah, you're right," agreed Toad.

Mario knew that the reason the charity garden opened so late was because the princess' schedule was booked that day. She had to help out some of the poorer communities, as well as several other "royal" duties, even though she wasn't on the throne, but the majority of her time was spent in her tent alone. Surely she was up to something. Something good, to be sure. But what was it?

"Coast is clear," Toad gave a thumbs-up.

Just then they heard the doorbell sound from within the house.

"This could be big," Mario realized as Toad got back down again.

"It might be risky if we look inside again," decided Toad. "Why don't we just leave and-"

"And not find out who's at the door?" interrupted a surprised Mario. "I can't sleep with an empty stomach and unanswered questions!"

He looked inside again, and surprise took over his features. "Mama mia... You might want to see who it is."

Luigi and Toad carefully peered inside. They became surprised as well. While they couldn't hear anything coming from the house, they could clearly see that the princess had just invited a Hammer Bro and a Shy Guy into the house.

"Whoa...," was all Luigi can say.

Toad was equally as amazed. "Can she really trust minions of King Koopa?"

"I don't know," said Mario.

"There are only two," noted Luigi.

"Let's not go inside; at least, not yet," advised Toad. "So far, she hasn't shown any signs that she's in trouble."

After another peek, Luigi saw that the princess and the two minions were spreading map across the table. The princess had picked up her mug, so it wouldn't be in the way.

"This is getting deeper by the minute," said Mario. "They've got several sheets of paper _and_ a map."

"Maybe they're going somewhere?" Luigi speculated.

"Only time will well," said Mario. "Let's just watch now and talk when this is over, so we don't miss anything.

Luigi and Toad agreed. As the three carefully looked through the window, they saw that the princess, the Shy Guy, and the Hammer Bro were looking at one spot in particular on the map. Now they seemed to be tracing a path from another location to the one location they chose. Then they seemed to debate over something for a moment before rerouting the path. After they finished tracing the path, the three of them stood up. The Hammer Bro walked over to the door and opened it as Toadstool and the Shy Guy finished rolling up the map. The princess walked through the door, then the Shy Guy, and the Hammer Bro brought up the rear, shutting the door behind him. Mario and his friends dared not to breathe as the princess walked away.

Only when the princess and her accomplices were out of sight did Mario and his friends raise their voices again. "Okay, who's confused?"

"Definitely me," said Luigi.

"And me," added Toad. "Maybe they left some clues behind!"

Mario and his friends rounded the corner and entered the house. To their dismay, they saw that the map and the papers were gone. In their place was a memo sheet. Mario walked over and read it.

"Mario: I'm on a secret mission. I'll be back by morning. -Princess Toadstool"

"So I was right," mused Mario.

"She my have taken the map and the papers with her," brainstormed Luigi, "but did she leave anything important behind?"

"I'll go check," volunteered Toad as he left the room.

With Toad temporarily gone, Mario turned to Luigi. "So Luigi," he began, "what do you think the map and papers were?"

"Good question," said Luigi. "Maybe it was for one of King Koopa's camps." He paused for a moment. "But then again-"

The sound of the doorbell interrupted his thoughts. Then came a shrill call from outside:

"Pizza delivery!"

"Oh boy!" exclaimed Mario as he bounded to the door. "I hope they brought pepperoni!"

"Mario, wait!" Luigi tried to tell his older brother. "You didn't-"

But it was too late. Mario had already thrown open the door. But instead of the delicious, welcoming aroma of a hot, Brooklyn-style pizza, he was met by a strong tingling sensation through his entire body. Mario groaned in both discomfort and dismay at who was responsible.

Looking to his brother, he was going through the same motions. Mario knew he had fallen victim to an electrical magic attack. The last things he saw before losing consciousness were the laughing Koopalings. Each one held a wand.

 _Oh no! Our heroes are in for it now! Seven Koopalings - seven wands - seven times the usual danger level! How are they going to get out of this one? Find out next time, in **Cracking the Koopa Code**!_

 _Until then, find follow the princess on her journey in the all-new **Princess Toadstool Miniseries**!_

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay, this mystery is really starting to deepen... Just what is the princess up to, and what is she doing with Koopa's minions? This was an unintentional reference, but the pizza delivery being a ruse references the pizza delivery ruse from the Super Mario Adventures comic. Maybe the Koopalings are returning the favor?

* * *

"Hey, paisanos," said Mario, "it's time for **Ask the Mario Characters**! Where you, the readers, get to send us questions and dares, and we'll answer them and act them... if we feel like it. Today, we've got ourselves a few _sporty_ dares today."

"Sporty?" Luigi wondered. "What could _that_ mean?"

"Well, we'll just have to wait and see," teased Mario. Opening the first envelope, he read aloud the dare supplied by **breath20k** : " **For Toad: Shoot five baskets while blindfolded in one minute and to make it fair, he has to do it by himself with Toadstool as the referee.** "

After he finished reading, a basketball basket magically appeared, and so did a large container of basketballs, and a blindfold in Toadstool's hands. She promptly tied it over Toad's eyes.

"Are you ready, Toad?" she asked.

"I'm ready!" exclaimed Toad. "I always love a good challenge."

"Okay, then! Three... two... one... GO!"

At her signal, a timer that had appeared on the wall began counting down from one minute. Immediately Toad begn reaching for the basketblls at his side and shooting for the basket.

"He has an average of twelve seconds to make each basket," whispered Spore to Koopa.

As Toad scored his first basket ten seconds in, Koopa turned to Spore. "With those stubby arms and short legs, there's no way he can lose."

"While Toad is shooting his baskets, I'll ask the next question," announced Mario. " **Luigi: What is your favorite part about this adventure?** "

"Well, if you meant the Spore adventure-" At this point, the princess had announced Toad's second goal, twenty-one seconds in. Luigi continued: "-I would say getting the chance to clear Toad's name. I'd do anything to support my friends. In general, my favorite part about my adventures in the Mushroom Kingdom is being with my friends, especially my big bro, and proving that good triumphs over evil."

Toadstool announced Toad's third score with twenty-seven seconds left, and his fourth score with fifteen seconds left. It all came down to this final basket.

"The pasta is with him, even though that story's over," stated Luigi.

"He's about to shoot," said Fryguy.

And shoot he did. The ball sailed gracefully toward the net, bounced lightly off of the backboard, and then-

"It's in!" exclaimed Toadstool as the timer, net, container, and balls vanished. "It's in with only two seconds remaining! Congratulations, Toad! You've succeeded the challenge!"

"Victory feels good!" said Toad.

"I wish I could say the same," said Koopa.

"Well, it looks like you just might get your chance!" said Mario. "This next dare is from our pal **Yuma** , and it reads: **I dare Luigi and King Koopa to do a 1v1 strength challenge. A fierce competition.** "

Luigi paled. "M-me? Against K-King Koopa?"

Koopa's grin couldn't get any wider. "Hey, you're the one who said you didn't realize your own strength."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," sighed Luigi.

"Yuma goes on to say: **Rules are, no items or outside help, only your pure strength. Mario, Peach, Spore and Wart(If not, then Toad) are the judges. The judges get to pick the games/challenges you compete in, the person who succeeds with the most points, wins! Good Luck!** "

Mario lowered the envelope. "Due to time constraints, we'll only do one event, with Toad as the referee."

"But I wanted to be the referee..." whined Wart.

"You might get your chance," said Mario. "Now, this event will be a pure grudge match of pure strength. Whoever can push the other to the wall first wins. Luigi, Toad, are you ready?"

"Oh yeah!" exclaimed Koopa.

"I'm ready, I guess," said a hesitatnt Luigi.

Once they took their positions, Toad walked up. "Ready... set... GO!"

Luigi began to mpush aginst each other as hard as they could. At first it didn't seem like anybody was really going anywhere, but soon Luigi started to gain ground.

"He could actually win this one," said McKoopa. "After all, he and his 'own strength' nearly crushed Mario to death last time."

"No it didn't!" called Luigi as he had almost gotten King Koopa to the wall. But his opponent took advantage of the distraction and began using his strength to push Luigi to the opposite wall. Toad saw that Luigi had touched the wall.

"King Koooa is the winner! …I can't believe I just said that," said Toad.

"Oh yeah! Sweet victory!" cheered Koopa. "And believe, fungus, for you did just say that, because it really happened! I actually won something!"

"That's all for this edition of Ask the Mario Characters," concluded Mario. "Until next time, everybody, do the Mario!"


	19. PTM Issue 1 (Apr 1991)

**A/N:** The first issue of our first spinoff series... what can I say? The idea for this spinoff series was inspired by Archie Sonic the Hedgehog's Princess Sally Miniseries. It's been a while since I read those issues, but if you look carefully, you may find some similarities.

Without further ado, it's time for reviews!

* * *

 _ **animegamefanatic:** NO! NOT THE PIZZA! THAT'S A NEW LOW KOOPALINGS!_

 _I guess Peach is trying to negotiate either a peace treaty or is working with minions who are against bowser._

 **No one can resist the delicious, welcoming aroma of a hot, Brooklyn-style pizza...**

 **I would say it's more so the latter, but there's only one way to find out, right?**

* * *

 **breath20k:** _Looks like the Koopalings are back once again! Great start to this arc._

 **Thanks!**

* * *

 _ **NormanWhitesmith:** _I wonder what's going to happen next. If I were the Koopalings, I would do what they did at the beginning of smb3 and turn the heroes into dogs or something. But then again, they'll probably just get their butts kicked by the heroes anyways. I wonder what will happen next.

 **You're probably right about the butt-kicking part. As for the Koopalings' plan... well, they could do anything with those wands.**

* * *

 _I do not own anything in this fanfic except for any original content that I come up with. Mario belongs to Nintendo, which does not endorse or affiliate itself with this fanfic. Constructive criticism is allowed, but please, no flames._

And now, on to the comic!

* * *

 **Project Koopa, Part 1: Defects**

* * *

9:38 PM. The house was quiet. There was absolutely no one around - well, no one but the princess who had just walked through the door. Perfect. Now she could carry out her plan in peace.

She wanted no one, not even the Mario Brothers and Toad, to know about her plan. She would tell them later. Right now, she knew that they were taking care of the grand opening of her new charity garden. She would have given the speech herself, but she had met with a contact who had wanted to show her something important at Castle Koopa. The contact was a Goomba named Marcus. Princess Toadstool had first met him on the way back home during the Spore caper.* They had initially planned to sneak her into the castle a few days later, but there were several setbacks and delays. Finally, it appeared they had finally picked the perfect day.

 _*See Issue 16._

9:42 PM. The princess had just finished preparing a cup of tea before poring over several sheets of paper on the table. They had been given to her by Marcus, who had told her not to let them fall into the wrong hands. She was careful not to let these papers into the sight of anyone, not even the Mario Brothers and Toad.

She then thought she saw a movement outside, and turned to look. But there was no one. She didn't blame herself if it was just her imagination. After all, her nerves were up, and she was expecting company.

Brushing it off as nothing, she sat down with her tea and began to pore over the papers. She had been so busy the past month she had not been able to look at them until now. Why were these papers so important? Because these were ideas and prototype images for something that looked massive. They were stamped "Confidential." How Marcus smuggled them out of the castle, she didn't know, but she was grateful he did. She didn't know just how big Project Koopa was going to be, or what exactly it was, but there was a measurement conversion: 1 inch = 500 KiloKoops. She had no idea what a KiloKoop was, but five hundred of them sounded big.

9:57 PM. Glancing at the clock, Toadstool knew it would be only a few minutes until her contacts arrived. Marcus told her to expect at least two fellow defects arrive at ten that night. They would sneak her into Castle Koopa so she could see Project Koopa, and then safely sneak her out again. Well, that was the plan, anyway. She had no clue if any of the other minions might catch on to their plan.

A knock on the door roused her from her thoughts. It was the secret knock she had been told to listen for. The contacts have arrived at last.

Leaving her seat and her tea, she walked over to the front door and opened it.

"G'day, miss," greeted one of the defects, a Hammer Bro. "My name's Mallet, and this is Silas." He gestured to the Shy Guy who was with him.

"Pleased to meet you both," said Toadstool. "Come on in."

As the two contacts walked into the house, Silas shut the door behind them before pulling a map out of his robe. "We thought that you should get familiar with the layout of Castle Koopa before we head out.," he said.

"You're right," agreed the princess as she helped Silas and Mallet unroll the map onto the table. She moved her tea so it wouldn't be in the way.

Then she had a delayed double take. "Wait, he finished his castle so soon?"

"I'm afraid so," sighed Silas.

"It was just finished today," explained Mallet. "King Koopa's been spending the whole day moving stuff from his camps into his castle. That means no attacking today."

"So when _does_ he plan to attack?" asked the princess.

"I don't know," answered Silas. "Maybe as early as tomorrow?"

"That _is_ early," Toadstool realized.

Silas sat down across from Toadstool, and Mallet sat at Silas' left. "Now, to business," started Silas.

Mallet pointed to a spot on the map. It was near the edge of the castle's boundaries. "This," he explained, "is the presumed location of Project Koopa. Our destination." He pointed to another spot at the edge of the map, opposite from the first place he pointed to. "And this is the castle's entrance. Now, we want to get from Point A to Point B without getting detected, right?"

"Right," Toadstool replied. "But there are minions everywhere. Even with Koopa busy with Project Koopa and the completion of his castle, we're bound to be spotted without a good plan."

"That's where we come in," said Silas. "You see these green dashes on different parts of the map? Those are the locations of all the grilles leading into the air ducts. We'll help you climb into one of them, and, with luck, you'll be able to see Project Koopa undetected."

"But... I'm allergic to dust," realized Toadstool.

"I don't think you'll need to worry about that," reassured Silas. "These ducts are brand new, and are likely to have collected very little dust."

Then the princess had a thought. "Just out of curiosity, is there a back entrance or way into the Project Koopa room from the outside?"

"Impossible," Mallet shot down Toadstool's suggestion. "There's only one way into his castle, and there's been a recent increase in security in spite of the camp transfer."

"Back to the original plan," Silas continued. "Koopa has more security than usual here, here, and here," he pointed to three spots on the map, "so your best entrances into the air duct would be one of these two," he pointed to two green dashes near the entrance of the castle.

The princess took a sip of her tea while studying the map. "What about this route?" she asked, tracing a possible route from the castle's entrance to one of the green dashes.

"No," Silas automatically said. "That path has Thwomps as security."

"Thwomps?" This was new news for her.

"Yup," confirmed Mallet. "Large, sentinent stone slabs that hang in the air, waiting for an unsuspecting trespasser to walk underneath. And then _bam_!" He vertically clapped his hands for effect. "Instant pancake. Get the picture?"

Toadstool shuddered at the thought of a several-ton rock crushing her skull in. "Yikes... Guess I'd better pick another path then!"

Writing "Thwomps" in the area she had originally chosen, the princess studied the map again, this time choosing a different route. "What about... _this_ one?"

Mallet and Silas studied the path the princess had chosen. "Good," evaluated Silas as he traced her path. "No traps that I can see."

"Still, you can't be too careful," warned Mallet as he got up and headed for the door. "We always need to make room for a change of plans."

Finishing her tea, Toadstool followed Mallet as Silas tucked the map back into his robe. He then handed the prototype papers to Mallet, and the three headed out the door.

* * *

The journey was uneventful, and the party of three arrived at the castle thirty-five minutes after they set out.

"It looks like the odds are in our favor," noted Mallet. "Bridge is down, door's open, guards are asleep. It's easy pickings for us."

"Then let's do this," said a determined Princess Toadstool.

The princess stepped on the bridge carefully, listening for creaks.

"It's brand new," said Silas. "You should be fine."

Nodding, Toadstool took a few more steps. Mallet and Silas followed. Mallet was right. This _was_ easy pickings.

She then thought Mallet spoke too soon, for one of the sleeping Koopa Troopa guards began to stir. It became evident that he was just repositioning himself, and he was still asleep. His spear slipped out of his grasp and landed quietly on the ground next to him.

For a second, Toadstool thought the sound of the spear would rouse the guards. But as there was no further movement from either guard, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Mallet picked up the spear. "Can't go unarmed, you know?"

As the three adventurers crept past the guards and into the castle, Toadstool was wondering why King Koopa had left the door open. Did she just walk into a trap and not even know it? If so, the minions were acting really well. But something felt genuine about them... well, almost. There has to be room for negatives.

"Remember the map," reminded Silas. "This is the real deal now."

As she took in her surroundings, she could not help but notice the portraits of King Koopa on the walls, the flaming torches, and the grimacing rocks hovering beneath the ceiling nearby.

Wait, _grimacing rocks_?!

She took a step back. So _those_ were the Thwomps the defects had warned her about. Anyone could have been crushed flat by them, no matter how strong they were. Perhaps someone with the power of a Starman could defeat them, but one can't be too careful.

As the princess turned around, and was about to head down the correct pathway toward the grille to the air duct, she became aware of a movement nearby. Two other minions were heading their way. Could they be her captors if she wasn't careful?

But wait. She recognized one of them. It was Marcus! The Goomba walked up to the princess. "Princess! You made it!" he exclaimed.

"It seems as though luck is with me tonight," she said. "Good to see you too. Did you arrange the bridge and door?"

"No," said Marcus. "Apparently Koopa was lazy with that. It must come with first-time castle owners."

"Seriously?" questioned the princess in astonishment. "I thought he was above that."

She then turned to the others, who were talking with the other "minion", who then noticed her.

"My name's Carapace," said the female Paratroopa, who sported an aqua-colored shell, "but you can call me Carrie. I defected just yesterday, mostly because I couldn't deal with King Koopa's yelling."

"So that makes four defects," Toadstool questioned.

"Four less soldiers for Koopa," confirmed Silas.

"So you're here for Project Koopa?"

"Correct," answered Mallet. "Now if we want to pull this off, we've got to start right away."

Carrie flapped her wings and lifted off the ground. "So you guys are trying to get the the princess to an air duct that leads to the Project Koopa Room? I know the perfect way to get there. It's easy. We just have to disguise the princess as a-"

"Uh, I don't think-"

"You don't think _what_?" a voice interrupted Silas.

"Oh, _no_..." Toadstool sighed as the other four minions stiffened. She instantly recognized the voice. Daring to turn around, she paled when she saw who spoke. It was Mouser. The rest of the Koopa Pack was with him.

 _This looks bad for the princess... Surrounded by enemy species, and about to get cornered, caught, and captured! Will the defects help her out in time? Find out in the next thrilling issue of the **Princess Toadstool Miniseries**! Until then, look for the next issue of **Super Mario Bros: The Novelized Comic**!_

Line

 **A/N:** Well then... This was some issue, wasn't it? I knew I wanted to do something similar to the Princess Sally Miniseries for this story, so this is what I came up with. Originally I was going to have Toad, along with a few Toad warriors, appear in this arc, but Toad works better in the main arc. Then I came up with the idea to use defects instead. That would certainly make things more interesting. Carrie was originally going to be a normal Koopa Troopa, but as I was writing the plots for the next few issues, I noticed that I was making her a Paratroopa, so I made her a Paratroopa.

Line

"Hey, paisanos," said Mario, "it's time for **Ask the Mario Characters!** Where you, the readers, get to send us questions and dares, and we'll answer them and act them... if we feel like it. Today's Q&Ds are from **breath20k**!"

"This means more Mushroom Kingdom Adventures-related dares, am I right? guessed Spore.

Mario peeked at the envelope. "You guessed it. Today's one and only dare is for Wart: **This dare is for Wart: Eat a Superstar Cheeseburger while blindfolded and he only has ninety seconds to finish it all. The referee: Fryguy** "

"YES!" Fryguy would have fist-pumped if it weren't for his lack of hands. "I finally get recognition around here! Oh yeah, baby! Woo!"

"Now it's my turn next," cooed Birdo.

"It's not _that_ big a deal, Fryguy," said Toad as Fryguy made his way to the front of the room. Wart followed suit. A blindfold appeared in Princess Toadstool's hands, and ae tied it over Wart's eyes, a Superstar Cheeseburger appeared in Wart's open hands.

"Mind you, I don't like pickles," said Wart. "Pickles are vegetables. Vegetables hurt me."

"But pickles are cucumbers, and cucumbers are actually _fruits_ ," countered Luigi, hoping to change Wart's mind. "Besides, the Superstar Cheeseburger doesn't have pickles."

"That's good," breathed Wart.

"Quick question," announced McKoopa. "If Fryguy is the referee, why didn't he tie on the blindfold?"

"Ever see a handless living mass of fire tie on a blindfold?" smirked Triclyde. "It ain't pretty. Even if he did figure it out, he'd still burn the cloth!"

"Gotcha," nodded McKoopa.

"Ready, Wart?" asked Fryguy as the timer appeared on the wall.

"Ready!" answered Wart as he prepared himself for the contest.

"Contest starts in 3... 2... 1... GO!"

As Wart began eating, Birdo turned to the others near her. "Psst. Koopa dearest."

King Koopa turned around. "Birdo! I haven't seen you in a while. What happened?"

"Nothing, darling. I was just wondering how well Wart is going to do in this contest."

"Hm? Yes, well, He's got a giant mouth for fitting the whole burger in, but no teeth."

"What he said, but Minus World stuff applies!"

"That means the opposite of what you said," explained Birdo.

"Actually, the Minus World is-"

"While the contest is going on," announced Mario, interrupting Koopa, "we'll ask today's question, which goes to Princess Toadstool. **If you could choose one power up, what could it be?** "

"Hmm... I would say the Starman. We know it is capable of much more than invincibility, as shown in _A Fungus Among Us_."

"You're just choosing that because you're royalty!" mocked Koopa, only to have his attention diverted to Wart. If it weren't for the blindfold, he would have seen the Starmen in his eyes as he sped up. He finish off his burger seconds later.

"You've done it! There are just three seconds left on the timer! New world record for Subcon inhabitants competing at Burger Shroom!"

"Do you want flies with that?" heckled Spore as Toadstool removed the blindfold.

"I'm not into flies, but I hear the Subcon Beezos are pretty good," Wart responded after belching. "The ones who don't work for me, I mean."

"And that will do it for us here in the studio!' concluded Mario. "Until next time, everybody, do the Mario!"


	20. SMB Issue 19 (May 1991)

**A/N:** Sorry if this chapter is late; I had some Real World issues to attend to. And we're not takling Koopa here...

Anyway, here's part two of Cracking the Koopa Code!

* * *

 _ **animegamefanatic:** __oh boy,_

 _the Princess is probably wishing she brought the mario bros..._

 **Yes, the Mario Brothers might be able to help her out here, but... Maybe the defects have something up their sleeves?**

* * *

 _ **NormanWhitesmith:** Okay. So that's what the princess is doing. But when do we hear about Mario, Luigi, and Toad and what became of them again?_

 **Never. Bowser killed them all and the Mushroom Kingdom has fallen into grave peril.**

 **LOL, just kidding! Their story continues this issue! You'll also see them in Chapters 22 and 24.**

 _ **breath20k:** __An amazing start to Toadstool's story._

 **Thanks!**

* * *

 _I do not own anything in this fanfic except for any original content that I come up with. Mario belongs to Nintendo, which does not endorse or affiliate itself with this fanfic. Constructive criticism is allowed, but please, no flames._

And now, on to the comic!

* * *

 **Cracking the Koopa Code, Part 2: The Dungeon**

* * *

Darkness.

Cold, swirling, inky blackness.

When would it end?

Mario groggily opened his eyes, and, to his surprise, found that he was in the throne room of Castle Koopa! Well, that's what it looked like, anyway. As far as he knew, the castle was still incomplete. Then again, it _had_ been a month since he was there. Anything could have changed.

Standing up, Mario slowly looked around. He was a little surprised to find that the throne was there, but King Koopa wasn't in it. Come to think of it, he wasn't in the room at all. Even stranger, neither was anyone else. He was all alone in King Koopa's throne room. But why? He knew this wasn't like Koopa. There had to be more to this.

Mario was so involved with finding out how he got there that he almost didn't notice just how cold it was. Sure, Castle Koopa did have a natural chill to it, but this chill was different. It was as if it was winter outside. But one glance outside told him it was still summer. So what was going on here?!

He then felt another chill. This wasn't like the last chill he felt; the cold was already starting to set into his skin. No, this chill was like a warning. A warning tht danger was coming - and fast.

A moment later Mario's fear came true. The door to the throne room swung open, revealing none other than the Koopa king himself. About time, Mario thought. Why did Koopa put Mario in the throne room and not the dungeon? Now he had the opportunity to ask.

But before Mario could open his mouth, Koopa beat him to the punch. "Let's throw them in the dungeon!" he uttered.

There were several things Mario realzed in that moment alone.

One: Koopa actually looked surprised to see him.

Two: Koopa's voice started out normal, but gradually rose in pitch until it perfectly matched that of one of the Koopalings. In fact, if Mario wasn't looking, he would have guessed that it was Cheatsy Koopa.

Three: He said the word "them". But Mario was alone. So why would he say "them" instead of "him"?

But before he could speak to King Koopa, his focus was distracted by movement on the ground outside. Apparently Koopa was distracted too, for he raved over to the window as well. Since Koopa was closer to the window then Mario was, he beat him to it. Mario chose another window and looked down. The sight amazed him. And not just the scenery. No, there was something else as well.

It was his friends. Luigi, Toadstool, and Toad were brandishing a heavy log, poised to use it as a battering ram against the door. Mario wanted to call out to them, but his throat was dry, and he was too cold to attempt yelling. How they stood the cold was beyond him.

Then suddenly the three friends rammed the battering ram into the door. Rather than a slight jolt, the entire castle began to shake violently. In fact, it was so violent that it shook him right out of the dream he had been having and back into cold reality - emphasis on _cold_.

He was freezing. In fact, he had to huddle with Luigi to get warm. The now-laughing Koopalings had just tossed Luigi into the prison cell with him. Upon landing, Luigi snapped awake.

"M-M-Mario," he shivered. "W-Where are we?"

Mario noticed a window behind him, and he used his strength to stand up and look outside. What he saw displeased him.

"Ice Land," he groaned.

"No wonder I feel like a frozen TV dinner," said Luigi as he stood up.

Mario began searching the walls for a hidden panel or something else that could help them escape, but there was none. "Whoever built this prison did a good job," remarked Mario.

"Tell me about it," said Luigi as he began pacing the floor.

Suddenly Mario's keen hearing detected something. "Wait minute! Luigi, the floor sounds hollow!"

"Are you sure?" Luigi questioned.

"Positive! This means there must be another room beneath this one!"

"Want to see if you're right?" teased Hip from outside their cell. "Hop, give me a hand with this lever here! I bet Mario and Luigi will be in for the surprise of their lives!"

Mario and Luigi looked at each other as the floor slid open from beneath their feet. They hung in midair, classic cartoon style, before plummeting into the chamber below.

* * *

The coast was clear, and the house was quiet. Toad emerged from the back room, having heard the commotion, and wisely hid from the Koopalings. Now he could play the role of rescuer.

Slipping a Fire Flower into his inventory, he walked out the door, saw the Koopalings far in the distance, and decided to tail them.

Who knew where his quest woud take him? Who knew what dangers he would run into along the way? Toad didn't know, but with the safety of the Mario Brothers at stake, all of that didn't matter. Toad was determined to get them back from Koopa's wicked children.

He did not see an elderly figure watch him depart from the village.

* * *

Where was Mario now? He was in a cave of some sort. Well, it looked like a cave, but Mario knew it was still part of the fortress. Mario saw that Luigi was standing up next to him. As Mario rubbed his back where he had landed, he realized he was not as cold as he expected to be. Then again, the torches in this room might have had somethinng to to with it. One other thing he noticed was that these same torches were illuminating a face in the room.

And it wasn't friendly.

Emitting a low growl, the creature slowly approached the heroes. Mario noticed the Koopalings watching from bove.

"Meet our pet, Boom Boom!" introduced Cheatsy.

"You might want to know he's not eaten in a couple of days, and he'd kill for plumber casserole," taunted Bully.

"So you might want to help out a poor, starving Koooa sub-species for us," guilted Kootie Pie.

""You do realize captivity of any species is illegal?" retorted Luigi.

"Let them have their fun, Luigi," admonished Mario. "Right now, we've got bigger Koopas to deal with!"

As the red-clad plumber was speaking Boom Boom decided to lunge forward. Mario leaped out of the way just in time. Luigi almost didn't see him, but he manage to dodge the incoming Koopa by inches, landing on his side in the process.

"You okay, bro?" asked Mario as he helped Luigi up.

"Y-Yeah, I'll be fine." he shuddered. Looking up, he quickly backed away. "Look out, he attacking again!"

Mario saw this. He ran backward, leaped off the wall behind him, and landed squarely on Boom Boom's head.

"Atta boy, Mario!" cheered Luigi as Mario dusted his gloves. His cheering then died in his throat as he saw a sudden and unexpected movement coming from the torches on the walls.

"Mario! The torches!" he warned.

Mario turned some of the flames hopping off of the torches onto the ground. Boom Boom chose this as his time to get back up.

But rather than attacking, the Koopa stood back and watched the flames, waiting to see if they would incinerate the plumbers first.

"Those are Hot Feet!" explained Mario as he ran from them, trying to congregate them in one spot. "They won't attack you if you're looking at them!"

"Right!" agreed Luigi as he stared down the Hot Feet. But they kept coming, even cornering Mario at one point. Some of them even approached Luigi. During this commotion, Boom Boom decided to attack again.

He charged for Mario, who didn't see him coming. Luigi knew he had to step in to save his brother. It was time for Number Two to shine.

He immediately ran forward and, executing a perfect jump, landed a clean hit on Boom Boom. He would have landed on him a second time, but the impact of the first stomp caused the Koopa to flop onto the ground, revealng his spiky shell. Luigi landed on the ground next to him, having just narrowly avoided impaling himself on Boom Boom's shell.

Hving heard the commotion, and still dodging Hot Feet, Mario turned to Luigi. "Great job, Luigi. Let's hot-foot it out of here!"

He shook his head at Mario's bad pun. "But there's no way out-"

There was no need for him to finish his sentence. His right hand found an indent in the wall behind him. He turned around and found that it looked like a camouflaged door. Mario headed over to see.

"Great job, Luigi. Does it open?"

"Only one way to find out."

Luigi pushed the door, and it swung inward. Mario, having faced the Hot Feet to make sure they didn't come closer, now headed cautiously into the newly-found corridor. Fortunately the Hot Feet did not follow.

"So Mario," began Luigi as they walked along, "Why do you think the Koopalings kidnapped us?"

"It can't have been for fun," pondered Mario. "I'm sure Koopa has bigger things in mind. Maybe he wanted us out of the way while he could kidnap the princess... Speakng of, just what is this mission she's on?"

"I'm sure we'll find out soon enough..."

Just then Mario became aware of voices coming from above them. He stopped in his tracks, and Luigi followed suit. Apparently the Koopalings were talking amongst themselves about something.

"You gotta wonder why King Dad gave us those silly nicknames," Cheatsy was saying. "I mean, who doesn't want to know our real names?"

"Beats me," Bully shrugged.

"If I recall correctly (and I always do)," declared Kooky, "King Dad wanted our real names to be an in-castle secret. He did not want the Mario Brothers to learn our real names and spread them to the whole world."

"But why not?" asked a confused Hip. "It doesn't make any senae."

"No, it doesn't," agreed Hop.

"You know what else doesn't make sense?" asked Morton. "Why those Mario Brothers are so evil. They beat us up, pulverized us, toasted us, and thy even broke our favorite toys, and we all know that magic wands are hard to-"

"Morton, shut up!" exclaimed the other Koopalings. It was then that Kooky realized something.

"Notice how we all used the name 'Morton' instead of 'Big Mouth'," he pointed out. "That shows we may still remember our real names. I know I'm Ludwig von Koopa. You, Kootie Pie, are Wendy O. Koopa. Hip and Hop are Lemmy and Iggy. Cheatsy is Larry, and Bully is Roy. And finally, Big Mouth is Morton Koopa Jr.. Who here knew this beforehand?"

All of the Koopalings except for Cheatsy and Hip raied their hands.

"It's okay if you didn't know," reassured Kooky, now Ludwig. "That's why you have a super genius on our side."

"So now that we've had this little chat," said Roy, "what say we see what our plumber friends are doing?"

"No need," replied Lemmy, a sly smile spreading across his features. "Let's just say I did an a- _maze_ -ing job building the basement. They're never getting out alive."

 _What does Lemmy have in store for our heroes? What's with the Koopalings' name changes? Will help arrive in time? And, most importantly, will Mario and Luigi esape the frozen dungeon alive? Find out in the next a-maze-ing installment of **Cracking the Koopa Code**_ _! Until then, come back for the next part of the_ ** _Princess Toadstool Miniseries_** _!_

* * *

 **A/N:** Not much to say here, so let's cut to the chase:

* * *

"Hey, paisanos," said Mario, "it's time for **Ask the Mario Characters!** Where you, the readers, get to send us questions and dares, and we'll answer them and act them... if we feel like it. Today's Q&Ds are once again from **breath20k**!"

"Where I will get more attention!" boasted Fryguy.

"More than me, Fryguy?" asked Birdo.

"Of course! I am, after all, too hot to touch."

"That's why you're a guy after my own heart."

"Hey, hey!" interjected King Koopa. "No romance within the Koopa Pack!"

"I left the Koopa Pack back in Issue 9." corrected Fryguy.

"I just vanished after the sane issue," Birdo added.

"I'm the fourth wall breaker around here," said Koopa, arms crossed.

"We're beginning now," announced Mario. "Our first question is for Luigi, and breath20k asks: **Which power up do you hate the most?** "

"C'mon! Say Boo Mushroom!" whispered McKoopa.

"Yeah, no, I can tolerate ghosts enough to use the Boo Mushroom. It's pretty handy actually. No, the one I'd say I hate the most is the Spring Mushroom. Imagine a giant metal coil pinning your arms to your body and rendering your legs useless. Now imagine youself bouncing out of control down a cake lane in space or into the Chompworks or wherever. And there are pits and electric shock waves and the like. It's a scary thought."

"Yikes," shuddered Toad. "I prefer my arms and legs free, thank you."

""Yeah, plus eating this mushroom can cause metal bits to be left in your teeth," added Mario. "Floss is kind of scarce in the Toy Time Galaxy. Moving on, our next question is for Toad: **How was your adventures with Mario so far?** "

"I'd say my favorite is when I was the Toad Warrior. But my favorite adventure in this story is Will the Real Mario Please Stand Up!. It was actually pretty weird to run into myself, even though it was only a disguise."

"Continuity error!" exclaimed Koopa. "Toad never met his double. Mario took him down first! ...Mouser, you idiot."

"What?" responded an annoyexd Mouser from the bag of popcorn he was eating. "It's not my fault I didn't last ten seconds in front of Mario!"

"None of my minions ever do..." grumbled Koopa.

Now here's the fun part," announced Mario. "Dare time! The first one is for Princess Toadstool and Birdo: **Have a friendly Super Roshambo match and the referee is...** "

Here Mario stopped for suspense.

"Ooh! Ooh! Is it me? Pick me!" shouted McKoopa.

" **Koopa!** " finished Mario.

"Yes! I get to host the princess! Take that, Mario!"

"Koopa, the Q&Ds are nothing compared to the actual story," stated Mario.

"I knew that; I just like to gloat."

The Roshambo cards appeared, and Koopa took his position. "Ready?"

"Always, darling."

Cringing at Birdo's flirting personlty, Koopa cleared his throat. "Ro... Sham... Bo!"

Immediately the two competitors flipped over their cards. Koopa came over to inspect.

"Since Mario's oh-so-precious princess got rock, and Birdo git scissors, Birdo loses! I obly said that because I don't want to say that Toadstool wins."

"Oh, but you did just say it," Toadstool pointed out.

"Foiled again!" exclaimed a facepalming Koopa.

"Great job, Princess!" congratulated Mario. "Now for our last dare, and i's for me... uh... **Get shot out of the cannon and land on the target, blindfolded. Fryguy will have the honor of firing the cannon.** "

"OOH YAASSS!" Fryguy leaped out of his chair. "breath20k is my favorite user in the Q&Ds!"

"Glad you're having fun," mumbled Larry Koopa.

Just then a Bob-omb Buddy pushed cannon into the room as another set up a target in the distance.

"Hi! Ill prepare the cannon for you... even if I'm not supposed to appear until Issue 83 at the earliest."

"How do you know this?" asked Koopa.

"You tell me. You're the fourth wall breaker," the Bob-omb Buddy responded as he loaded Mario into the cannon.

"Use your head, plumber boy!" heckled Iggy.

"Thia is gonna be fun," smirked Spore.

Toadstool offered Fryguy her cigar used during Love & Cigars, but Fryguy shook his head (or is it his whole body?).

"Who needs cigars when you've got the power of ME?" Fryguy said as he used his burning mass to light the fuse.

"Here goes," Mario braced himself.

With a boom, the cannon launched Mario directly at the target. Not only did he score a perfect ten, but the force of the cannon sent his head through the cardboard target.

"Mario! Are you all right?" questioned Luigi as he and a few others ran over.

Mario gave a thumbs up. "Never better!' he exclaimed. "Cannon rides four years ahead of this issue's date are the best!"

"Daddy, can I have one for my room?" asked Wendy.

"Sure honey, whatever you say," Koopa said as he pulled out his iPhone to make the order.

"And can you make it pink and purple with hearts and stars on it, and a lavender fuse, and some cute ammo..."

"While she makes her wish list, we'll just wrap this one up, 'K?" said Mario. "Until next time, everybody, do the Mario!"


	21. PTM Issue 2 (May 1991)

**A/N:** I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, so I hope you enjoy.

* * *

 _ **animegamefanatic:** Uh Koopa kids...that's calling the kettle-black. you guys are jerks._

 _but why would bowser keep his kids' real name a secret...that makes no sense._

 **This will be explained in future issues.**

* * *

 _ **NormanWhitesmith:** Interesting. I wonder what will become of everyone, especially with the whole name deal_

 _I realized that in my last review for the dare section that I accidentally left out the word "princess" and that the request looked extraordinarily weird. Time to take another shot at this and hope I don't ruin everything again!_

 **Just a reminder to please send your questions and dares in the PMs rather than the reviews. Thank you! :)**

* * *

 _ **breath20k:** An a-maze-ing chapter and the nicknames of the Koopalings remind me of the animated series back in 1990!_

 **Thanks! And yes, the Koopalings' nicknames are the ones used in The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3!**

* * *

 _I do not own anything in this fanfic except for any original content that I come up with. Mario belongs to Nintendo, which does not endorse or affiliate itself with this fanfic. Constructive criticism is allowed, but please, no flames._

And now, on to the comic!

* * *

 **Project Koopa, Part 2: Project Koopa**

* * *

The princess was in a tight spot. The Koopa Pack was headed their way. They did not look happy, and if anything else, they were confused. Besides, they could easily mistaken the defects for real minions.

"Well?" started Triclyde. "What's going on here?"

"Um..." Carrie started before Silas cut her off.

"Yes, well, one of the patrols found the princess alone near the charity garden opening, and they assigned us the task of taking her to the prison."

The looks on the Koopa Pack's faces told him they weren't buying it.

"Ze prison is zat way," Mouser pointed in the direction of the cells.

"Saaaayy..." Triclyde slithered closer to the defects. "You're not defecting on us, are you?"

Carrie was almost caught off guard. "What? No!" she sputtered. "We're loyal minions of King Koopa! Fiends to the end! Right?"

"Then you should have absolutely no trouble taking her to the dungeon," continued Triclyde.

"Go on. Move," ordered McKoopa.

"We'll be watching you," warned Mouser.

"Okay, okay, we're going!" whined Marcus as the four escorted Toadstool forward.

Toadstool's heart sank. She had come so far, only to have all of this progress done away with, thanks to the Koopa Pack. How could they have known what she was doing in Castle Koopa. More importantly, why were they suspicious of the defects?

There was one other thing Toadstool noticed about the Koopa Pack. They seemed to be more serious about their job than they usually were. Perhaps it had to do with the completion of Castle Koopa. Then it hit her. Now that Koopa had a permanent settlement, and was gaining new recruits every day, she realized that Koopa was no longer a mere boss of a group of Koopas.

He was a commander, dressed to conquer.

"In," ordered Mouser once they arrived moments later. Yup, something was definitely different with the Koopa Pack.

"Enjoy a little down time in prison while King Koopa finishes his plan to conquer the land," taunted McKoopa as the Koopa Pack walked away laughing.

Toadstool looked around for the defects. She saw them approaching her a moment later. Mallet pulled a key from his shell and approached the door.

"Sorry about that," he apologized as he inserted the key into the lock. "The Koopa Pack aren't too bright. They shouldn't have given us Hammer Bros. the keys to the cells."

"Thanks!" thanked Toadstool as she stepped out of the cell.

"Don't mention it."

"So," said a somewhat nonchalant Carrie, "What should we do next? Is there a nearby air duct we can-"

"Right there!" Silas pointed to an air duct that was practically right outside the cell formerly occupied by the princess.

The princess looked up at the grille. "Well... it _does_ look kinda high up... If this is a standard thirteen-foot ceiling, i'd say it's about eleven feet up."

"Carrie could probably fly you up there," suggested Silas, but Carrie shook her head. "My wings aren't strong enough to airlift anyone quite yet."

"Hmm..." Marcus pondered the predicament. "Minion stack?"

"Here we go again," sighed Mallet.

"It's the only way we can get up there," insisted Marcus. "Actually, I'll go up there with the princess. She'll need someone to guide her through the air vents."

"Good idea," agreed Silas. "Right, Mallet will be at the bottom of the stack, then me, then Carrie. Marcus will enter the duct first, then the princess."

"Again?!" complained Mallet. "Why do I always get the bottom of the stack?"

But Carrie ignored him. "Wouldn't it be better if we send the princess up first? That way she can help Marcus up, since he doesn't have hands."

"Good idea." Silas handed her a screwdriver. "Here, can you carefully unscrew the grille from the wall?"

"Sure thing!" She took the tool and flew up to the grille to get to work. After each screw was unscrewed, she dropped it into Silas' hands. After the fourth screw, however, the weight of the fully-detached grill started to pull her down, and Silas and Toadstool worked together to hold it up and lean it against the wall without any noise.

"That was close," breathed Carrie as she dropped to the ground for a quick rest.

"It's not over yet," said Silas. "Right, Mallet, we need you for the stack."

As much as the Hammer Bro hated this, he walked underneath the vent and squared his shoulders as Silas climbed onto them. Next Carrie lighted upon Silas' shoulders.

"Ready, Princess?" verified Silas.

"Ready."

She carefully began ascending the minion stack, quickly finding out that it wasn't as easy-

"Ow! That's my head!"

"Careful! My entire body is basically a head!"

-as she thought it would be.

Once she reached the top, she pulled herself up into the duct. Looking down, she saw Marcus nimbly ascend the stack and leap into the duct with her. Carrie flew off of Silas as he was getting down from Mallet's shoulders.

"If you could just scoot over to the side, I'll lead you to Project Koopa," directed Marcus as Toadstool complied, even if space was tight.

"All right then! Shall we check out the Koopa king's plan?" asked Marcus, his voice filled with adventure.

"Yes, let's!" agreed Toadstool as they began crawling through the duct.

Toadstool was surprised at how clean the air duct was. Then again, it was brand new. She secretly hoped no one was performing maintenance on it right now.

"So Princess," began Marcus as they took a left, "what's going on with Mario?"

"Oh, the usual," she replied. "Right now he and Luigi are wrapping up with the grand opening of the charity garden."

"Do they know about your mission?" he asked next.

"No."

"That's good," replied Marcus as they took the next right. "The fewer who know about it, the better. Otherwise, King Koopa might set his plan in motion much sooner than expected, and we don't want that, right?"

"Right," agreed Toadstool. "What _is_ Koopa's plan, anyway?"

"All I was able to gather was that he has a plan for Mushroom Land."

"Yikes! I don't like the sound of that."

After taking one last left turn, Marcus stopped. "If my sense of direction is correct, we have arrived at our destination. Are you ready for this?"

"I am."

She took a deep breath, and she and Marcus peered through the grille into the room below. She had to hold back a gasp at the sight that met her eyes.

It was the largest invention she had ever seen. Taking up most of the room's space, it was covered in a massive blue tarp, which had several holes for minions to enter and exit the project. It was most definitely a long object - or was it wide? She would know soon enough.

It took Princess Toadstool a moment to regain her composure. "So... that's Project Koopa."

Marcus nodded.

She looked down. "Is there a way we can get closer?"

But Marcus held her back. "Princess, it's fifty feet down, and there's practically no way back up if you do survive the fall. Besides, they'd catch you before you hit the ground."

The princess blushed. "Oh dear... And to think my ambition almost got the better of me."

Turning back to the massive project, she asked, "Do you know what the purpose of Project Koopa is?"

Marcus sighed. "Well, the thing is, King Koopa never tells his minions anything about Project Koopa or what it's for."

"Then how do you know about Project Koopa?"

"Carrie heard from one of the minions who accidentally leaked something to his fellow minions. Apparently Project Koopa is supposed to be a mega weapon built to aid Koopa in the conquest of Mushroom Land."

Letting those words soak in, Toadstool looked down at the construction scene. Materials were being carried into and out of the project, and Hammer Bros were shouting orders from the ground below.

"Who all are allowed in there?" she asked next.

"From what I was able to figure, only Koopa, the Koopalings, and a select few workers are allowed in the work zone."

"What about the Koopa Pack?"

"They're not allowed in there. Koopa needs someone to keep the castle under control."

After watching the construction for a little while longer, Marcus turned back to the princess. "Are you ready to head back?" he asked.

Toadstool nodded. "Yes. Let's head back."

They turned toward the direction they came from and began their crawl back.

"Thoughts?" Marcus inquired.

"You know, I thought it was interesting to see that it had a tarp over it, even if it's inside Castle Koopa in a secret room that's closed off to the rest of the minions."

"Yeah, that got me too," the Goomba replied. "I think it's because Koopa doesn't want to take any unnecessary risks with this project."

The princess was just about to say she agreed when they became aware of a voice coming from another room. They paused, listening to the voice.

"...and by morning, all of Mushroom Land will finally be in my hands."

Toadstool and Marcus stared at each other, eyes wide.

"He's invading _tonight?!_ " said a shocked Toadstool.

"We need to tell the others about this," said a concerned Marcus as they hurried through the air vent.

* * *

Moments later, Toadstool and Marcus returned to the entrance of the vent to find Silas and Carrie waiting for them.

"Uh, where's Mallet?" wondered the princess as Carrie flew Marcus to the ground.

"He said he needed to check if the coast is still clear," answered Silas.

Carrie then flew back up to airlift Toadstool down. But as her wings weren't ready for such a task, the two ended up dropping to the floor instead. The princess stood up, pulled Carrie to her feet, and turned to the others.

"Now that our mission is complete, how are we going to get out of here? The guards are bound to be awake, and there are no warp pipes in Dark Land."

She had a feeling something was wrong with this whole situation - Mallet's unexplained disappearance was just the start. But add in a sudden rumbling from nearby, and the recipe for instant trouble is served.

"I don't think you'll need to worry about zat," replied an all-too-familiar voice.

The four turned to look. There, in front of them, was a giant wooden tank piloted by the Koopa Pack. Mouser was standing atop it, Triclyde was controlling the tank, and McKoopa was manning the cannon.

"You now know too much about Project Koopa for your own good," said Mouser. "I'm afraid we and our sweet tank will have to put an end to you and your treasonous friends."

 _Oh no! It looks like the princess has a tank full of trouble on her hands! Mallet is nowhere to be found! And an invasion may be imminent! Whatever will happen next?! Come back for the thrilling conclusion of the **Princess Toadstool Miniseries**!_

 _Until then, prepare for part three of **Cracking the Koopa Code**!_

Line

 **A/N:** I have to admit, this miniseries is probably my favorite story I've written in here. In fact, I think it's a much better story than Cracking the Koopa Code in my opinion. The Koopa Pack is utilizing a tank that has appeared in Super Mario Bros. 3, sans the Rocky Wremches.

Line

"Hey, paisanos," said Mario, "it's time for Ask the Mario Characters! Where you, the readers, get to send us questions and dares, and we'll answer them and act them... if we feel like it. Today's dares are once again from **breath20k**!"

"Also," added Luigi, "We're decked out for Easter, hence the rabbit ears on just about everybody."

"How humiliating," sighed Spore.

"Tell me about it," sympathized Fryguy. "I mean, mine burnt right off. How cool is that?"

"'Cool' is ironic, coming from you," said Larry.

Fryguy gasped. "I meant 'hot'!"

Suuuuure you did," said Iggy.

Fryguy just pouted.

"All right, our first dare," announced Mario, "is for King Koopa. **Eat a cheeseburger from Burger Shroom while blindfolded and he only has fifty seconds to finish! The referee is going to be Spore.** "

" _Fifty_ seconds?!" exclaimed Koopa.

Spore snickered. "Yep."

"But it took me a whole minute to eat and digest a carrot!"

"The Giga-Carrot is one thing, but this is only a cheeseburger," reassured Pauline.

"You're right."

Spore tied the blindfold on as a Koopa King Deluxe Cheeseburger appeared in Koopa's hands.

"Ready?" asked Spore as a timer set for fifty seconds appeared on the wall.

"Oh yeah."

"All right then, pal! Three... two... one... GO!"

Immediately Koopa was into his burger. Everyone present watched as he took bite after bite. Soon Spore gave the announcement.

"Forty-nine seconds!" he exclaimed.

"I... did it..." said a bewildered Koopa.

"Yes, you did," said Toad. "You practically inhaled that burger!"

"And soon, I'll be inhaling everything else as well" Koopa boasted.

"You bring up a good point, King Dad," piped up Iggy. "Why is Bowser's Inside Story getting a remake and not Partners in Time?"

"Well," explained Koopa, "being a living vacuum is better for my health than being blown out of a volcano. Besides, I was an unworthy final boss, Nintendo's quietly removing E. Gadd from their games, and no one knows who Stuffwell is."

"Yeah, talking suitcases are weird," said Luigi. "How many times did he say 'BACK TO ADVENTURE!'?"

"Enough to wish E. Gadd programmed him with a mute button," groned Fryguy. "Or I could just turn down the volume on my DS."

"Back to dares!" announced Mario in his best Stuffwell imitation. "This next one is for the Koopalings: **F** **or the Koopalings: Have a race against each other to the finish line and the referee is Toad.** "

"All right then, line up!" announced Toad as the Koopalings rose from their seats.

"I've been meaning to stretch my legs," said Roy as he lined up with the others.

"Ready? Set! Go!" shouted Toad as the Koopalings took off.

"So how long is this race gonna be?" asked McKoopa.

Toad frowned. "Well... I never really planned a course, so it could be a while."

"It's good to see my kids getting exercise," smiled Koopa. "Any more dares or questions?"

"Yes, we do have one more question," answered Mario as he looked at his envelope. "And it's for the princess! **Question for Toadstool: If you could name one character in your side story, who could it be?** "

"Hmm... Who would my best defect be..." mused Toadstool. "I would have to say Marcus. He's been the closest to me through this whole infiltration mission. Silas and Carrie are great partners to have. And then there's Mallet."

"Also, breath20k says **Happy Easter!** " said Mario. "Thus concludes another edition of AtMC! Yes, the Koopalngs are still running. Who knows when they'll stop? Anyway, until next time, everybody, do the Mario!"


	22. SMB Issue 20 (Jun 1991)

**A/N:** Sorry if this chapter is a little late; I've been feeling a bit lazy lately.

* * *

 _ **animegamefanatic:** I hope Mallet's not betraying them...that would really stink._

 **It most certainly would, but the story's not over yet, and Mallet could come through and save the day! Or will he?**

* * *

 _ **NormanWhitesmith:** Another great chapter! I wonder what will happen next. And by the time this is put up in the next chapter, I'll be finding out. So really, saying that last bit was entirely pointless._

 **LOL! We'll see what happens next :P**

* * *

 _ **breath20k:** The best part about this adventure is the construction of Project Koopa. Can't wait to see how it all unfolds!_

 **I'm glad you had as much fun reading the last part as I did writing it!**

* * *

 _I do not own anything in this fanfic except for any original content that I come up with. Mario belongs to Nintendo, which does not endorse or affiliate itself with this fanfic. Constructive criticism is allowed, but please, no flames._

And now, on to the comic!

* * *

 **Cracking the Koopa Code, Part 3: Chills**

* * *

Mario had mixed feelings on what he had just heard. Hip, now Lemmy, had just said that he and Luigi would never escape alive on account of the fortress being 'a-maze-ing'. Needless to say, Mario would be stuck down there for some time. He hoped he wouldn't encounter any monsters on the way.

But he was also amazed that the Koopalings were using aliases this whole time. But why? He made a mental note to ask the princess about it later. But right now, he needed to take Luigi and get out of here.

Mario turned to Luigi. "Come on, bro," he said. "We need to get out of here."

" _If_ we can find the exit door," said a doubtful Luigi. "But Mario, all these doors look the same."

"Well, we won't know which one's the exit unless we've tried 'em all!" He ran to the first door. "Com on, Weegee, let's get cracking!"

As the green-clad plumber went off to try some doors, Mario saw one at the end the hall. Running over to it, he tried the doorknob. To his dismay, it was locked.

"I was sure that was it," mumbled Mario as he began to search around for a possible exit. He knew that, when all else fails, you should go with your gut.

Then his eye caught sight of an adjacent hallway. More doors to explore meant more possibilities of escape.

Then he realized something. Where was Luigi? Mario could have sworn he was right there not thirty seconds ago. Maybe he had gone into one of the rooms.

As Mario turned back, he mentally kicked himself for not having told him that they need to stay together. "Luigi!" he called. But the only sound in response was the crackling of the torches on the walls.

Figuring that he and Luigi would meet again at some point, he turned back to the passageway that he found. One door on the left was ajar.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Mario pushed the door open. Unlike the other rooms he had investigted, it wasn't lit by torches. A chill ran down his spine, and Mario turned to leave. But the sound of laughter drove him back.

He peered into the room again. This time he saw a ghostly figure hovering above the ground. It looked strangely... cute? Now Mario didn't believe in ghosts during his Brooklyn days - that was the Ghostbusters' department - but this figure seemed to make him want to reconsider.

But there was one other thing Mario noticed. The ghost was covering its face with its stubby hands, as if embarrassed. This he found to be rather interesting. As he stared at the blushing ghost hanging in the air, he wondered why it had laughed a moment ago.

Chuckling to himself about how silly this seemed, Mario forced himself to look away and leave the room. As he was starting down the hallway again, he heard the laughter again. Turning back, he saw that the ghost was closer than it was. Strangely enough, it was still embarrassed.

Another chill ran down Mario's spine. It was almost as if the ghost was playing games with him. And yet it wasn't. There was something more sinister to this ghost than met the eye.

Mario then decided to backtrack and return to the hall he had originally come from. Running past the ghost, he returned to the first hall and started to gain speed. He glanced behind him to make sure the ghost wasn't there.

But it was.

And it wasn't alone.

* * *

In another part of the fortress, Luigi navigated down a corridor. Even with the torches illuminating his way, it still felt dark and scary. He reminded himself to call a professional should he meet any specters.

"M-M-Mario," he called as loudly as he dared. "W-Where are you?"

No answer.

He wanted to get out of here badly. Getting kidnapped was no fun, and neither was being thrown into a pit with Boom Boom. But he and Mario had defeated him, only to get themselves lost - and separated. All he wanted now was a warm fireplace and a comfy chair.

As if by fate, that's exactly what he saw in the next room.

It was a living room, which was also lit by torches. There was even a couch, a bookcase, and a floor lamp. And the fireplace was lit.

Not able (or wanting) to resist, Luigi sped over to the nearest couch and sat down. This was certainly a comfortable chair. The fireplace was inviting. Maybe it was worth being dumped into the cellar of an ice fortress. Now to wait for Mario...

* * *

A closet door opened and Mario peered out. _Good, no ghosts_ , he thought. _Now to find Luigi_.

He gingerly stepped out of the closet and looked around to confirm his safety. Still no ghosts. He turned to proceed down the hall.

As he walked, he warily eyed the torches, making sure that none of them were actually alive. Fortunately, none of them moved. That would offer some relief. But real relief would come when he united with Luigi, defeated the Koopalngs, and find out exactly what the princess was up to. Who knows, maybe she was even planning to infiltrate-

Suddenly about a dozen ghosts ambushed him from the four-way hall intersection he was coming to.

"Mama mia!" he shrieked.

* * *

Luigi bolted up when he heard his brother. Mario was in trouble! Throwing all his fears aside, he ran from the room in the direction he thought Mario was.

As he turned left and headed down the hall, he almost forgot just how maze-like the fortress was. He made a mental note to map out any haunted structure he might stumble upon - and maybe incorporate the map into a handheld device.

Another right turn took him down another hall. Seriously, how large was this fortress?! But then he stopped at a sight that would make even grown men freak out.

A skeleton!

"Mario!" he cried out, hoping that this nightmare wasn't true. Was his brother really turned into a skeleton by who knows what?

Luigi knelt down by the pile of bones. "Mario," he sobbed, "what have they done to you?"

"Luigi."

"Not now Mario; I'm busy mourning for my-"

He stopped as he looked up at Mario. There he was, hands on hips in a heroic pose. If it were a cartoon, there would be a heroic yellow aura around him.

Relief and joy washed over Luigi. "Mario! You're alive!" he exclaimed as he ran to embrace his brother in a hug. As Mario returned the hug, he kept an eye on the skeleton.

"Don't worry, Luigi," comforted Mario, "Anyone could have made that mistake."

Then Luigi looked puzzled. If you're here..." He gestured to the skeleton. "...then what's _that_?"

Suddenly the skeleton's bones began to rattle together, startling both the plumbers. Before they knew it, the skeleton rose to its feet!

Letting out a sheiek, Luigi cowered behind Mario as the skeleton turned in their direction. "Dry Bones," explained Mario. "A Koopa's bones are designed to reanimate themselves after its death. Basically, it's avenging itself."

Running forward, he leaped into the air and planted both feet on the Dry Bones' head, sending it collapsing in a heap before he landed on the other side. "That should rattle its bones," he said.

But his pun was short-lived, as the Dry Bones was starting to stand up again as if nothing happened. Even worse, it turned in their direction and began to slowly approach them.

"I-I-It's supposed to be dead!" stuttered Luigi as he took a step back.

"True," said Mario as he joined his brother. "But the proper word here is ' _un_ dead."

Luigi gulped as the Dry Bones started to come a little too close for comfort.

"And the proper action here is to flee!" Taking Luigi's arm, he sprinted down the hall in an attempt to escape the skeleton, which gave chase. Then Luigi saw something that made him wish he had a vacuum cleaner.

"M-Mario! B-Behind you!"

Taking a quick glance behind him, Mario saw that it was the ghosts from earlier. "I think we need some more pasta power, Mario," suggested Luigi.

"You read my mind," responded Mario. "Pasta power it is!" he shouted as they ran faster.

They ran for a few more minutes, miraculously not running into any additional enemies or dead ends. Then Mario pointed ahead.

"That door! It's our ticket out of here!"

"You sure about that?" doubted Luigi as the enemies started to gain ground behind them.

"As we ran, I memorized which wall is the outside wall. Besides, the exit sign over the door is a dead giveaway."

"Gotcha."

Reaching the door, Mario threw it open, paused to let Luigi through before exiting the fortress himself, and slammed the door in front of the enemies before they could reach him.

With the immediate threat past, Mario and Luigi sat down with their backs to the door, panting from the energy they had put into that run. But they were also shivering. Not only was their adrenalin wearing off, but they had forgotten just how cold it was outside.

Then a sound met their ears.

The sound of a door closing.

Mario wouldn't exaggerate if he said his heart skipped a beat, and he knew Luigi felt the same way. The Koopalings had discovered their escape.

The next thing they knew, the Koopalings were just rounding the corner, magic wands in their possession.

"Thought you could escape from us?" sneered Ludwig. "Think again."

 _Out of the frying pan, back into the hands of their captors! How will our heroes get out of this one? Come back soon for the conclusion to **Cracking the Koopa Code**!_

 _Until then, return for the conclusion to the **Princess Toadstool Miniseries**!_

* * *

 **A/N:** Originally this chapter was going to be very different. It was going to have some of the same events that the next part is going to have. Then I thought this should have Mario trying to escape from the fortress. I also eventually added the Boos and Dry Bones.

* * *

"Hey, paisanos," said Mario, "it's time for **Ask the Mario Characters**! Where you, the readers, get to send us questions and dares, and we'll answer them and act them... if we feel like it. Today we only have two dares, and they're both from **breath20k**."

"Wonder when he'll reach one hundred chapters?" Toadstool, er, wondered.

"Heh, I'll bet that when the Bowser's Inside Story remake comes out, Fawful's gonna pay mandatory visit to Burger Shroom and stuff his face while he's at it," chuckled Koopa.

"I have fury!" shouted a familiar figure from waaaaay in the future.

"Fawful's not supposed to appear here for another 149 issues at minimum," noted Luigi.

"Only room for one fourth-wall breaker around here, Green Stache!" chastised the Koopa king.

"Right now, first dare is for Luigi," announced Mario. " **Shoot ten baskets in one hundred seconds while blindfolded! When there's only ten seconds left, have everyone count down the final moments. The referee is going to be... Pauline!** "

"Finally, a little recognition," gloated an out-of-character Pauline, ignoring Donkey Kong next to her.

"Pauline, my old girlfriend," Mario said, totally not implying that he ditched her for Toadstool, "you just sealed the poor ape's fate for next issue. You'd better hope that breath20k doesn't make him sing or anything."

"Nah, he'd be better at Burger Shroom contests," countered Spore.

"I think we're getting off topic here," said Mario. "This dare's about Luigi, not Donkey Kong. He'll get his turn."

Peomptly a basketball net and container full of basketballs appeared. Pauline got up and tied the blindfold over Luigi's eyes.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Yeah, I guess so," responded a nervous Luigi.

"Okay, then! Get ready..."

The scoreboard appeared on the wall, its timer set for one hundred seconds.

"Get set..."

A hush fell on the room as all eyes focused on Luigi.

And then...

The moment came.

"Go!"

Immediately Luigi began tossing basketballs toward the net, scoring the first basket eight seconds in.

"He'll never make it," stated McKoopa.

"Don't judge too soon," warned Mario. "Maybe soon, it'll be _you_ shooting hoops."

McKoopa stayed silent.

Luigi went on to score seven more baskets, including one with thirteen seconds remaining on the clock.

"Ready for the countdown?" asked Mario. Everyone agreed as the clock neared ten seconds.

"TEN!..."

"NINE!..."

"EIGHT!..."

"SEVEN!..."

"SIX!..."

"FIVE!..."

"FOUR!..."

"THREE!..."

Just then Luigi tossed a ball that flew directly toward the hoop.

"TWO!..."

But it landed on the rim and started to swirl around the top of the rim.

"ONE!..."

Everyone watched in awe as the ball started to slow down...

"ZERO!"

...before it fell through the net.

"It's a buzzer beater!" announced Pauline as she took off Luigi's blindfold. "Great job, Luigi."

"Thanks," he nervously replied as he returned to his seat.

There's one more dare here," announced Mario as he picked up the envelope again. "and it's for Spore and Toad: **Compete in a Super Roshambo game and the referee is Toadstool.** "

"Aren't I above rock-paper-scissors?" said Spore. "I'm not really into it unless I get to be the Rock Paper Wizard."

The princess and Toad tried not to laugh.

"Oh, you would SO not look good in a hand-shaped hat that's bigger than yourself." Toadstool covered her mouth with her hand to smother her giggles, but to no avail.

Spore had a hard time imagining his good looks done in by a hat. "Then I guess I can take back my statement. Shall we begin, then?"

As the cards appeared, Princess Toadstool cleared her throat. "Everyone knows the rules, right?"

As Spore and Toad nodded, Toadstool laid out the Roshambo cards. "Ready?"

"Ready!"

"Yeah, I guess..."

"RO.."

"SHAM..."

"BO!"

At the last syllable, both participants instinctively flipped their cards over. Spore grinned, knowing he might have the upper hand, having drawn rock, but Toad's paper turned that grin around.

"Still want to be Rock Paper Wizard?" Toad teased.

"I'll get you next time..." muttered Spore.

"And with that, Toad wins!" announced Toadstool. Just then her phone rang, and she answered it.

"Hello? ... Oh, who won? ... All of them? ... So it was a tie? ... I see. Well, talk to you later. Bye."

Hanging up, she turned to the others. "That was Kooper, who's on an expedition in Dry Dry Desert with Kolorado. He says the Koopalings' race has ended. It's a tie."

"That's my kids!" Koopa fistpumped. "Equality rules! Except when it's me and I'm conquering you guys."

"Makes sense," said Mario. "Come back next time for more Mario Q&Ds! Until next time, everybody, do the Mario!"


	23. PTM Issue 3 (Jun 1991)

**A/N:** Here's the last part of the Princess Toadstool Miniseries! I must say, it's probably one of the most epic thing I've written so far. Warning: if you're not a fan of epic things, turn back now, bit if you can't get enough of them, proceed...

* * *

 _ **animegamefanatic:** O_ _h snap! Luigi! The comfy chair's a lie!_

 _Ambushed by ghosts then just appears before Luigi...Luigi you might need to be weary of Mario..._

 **Especially since he caused himself to be framed at Isle Delfino... Or perhaps Mario is a ghost himself...? :P**

* * *

 ** _breath20k:_** _Looks like there's still more to come for the duo! Great work out there!_

 **Thanks! And yes, there's a _lot_ more coming. Just wait until the milestone issue!**

* * *

 ** _Guest:_** _Read every chapter of this fic and I have to say it's pretty interesting to see what would it be like if Archie pitched for a Mario comic series instead of Sonic. I could see this fanfic starting off as a light-hearted DIC Mario Cartoon-esque comic like the beginning of Archie Sonic to being more adventurous and modern with four issues-arc like when Ian took over, then later a huge reboot where the comic is a lot closer to the games lol. Not sure if you're actually going to try to make some chapters later on to be as ridiculous and try-hard edgy as Ken Penders' writing, but I'll be laughing my butt off if you do (imagine Toad being the Knuckles of this comic who suffers having all of these ridiculous nonsense attached to him when it comes to Penders trying to create an "origin" for him)._

 **Yup, that's the idea for the comic, although I don't plan to give it the "reboot" treatment that Sonic went through. Instead, I think I might ease into the Post-Super Genesis Wave style, and eventually into the IDW style.**

 **Ken Penders really did have some weird stuff in his stories. *coughTitanTailscough* One person accurately described him as having a "weird echidna obsession." Is it a good thing I haven't read all the Penders issues? Anyway, I'll try to lean toward his style, but probably not go so far as maybe having Toad have a weird backstory, or even worse, have him be a human. (I might save that for Yoshi or Donkey Kong. LOL JK :P)**

 **After Issue 200, I'll switch to Ian Flynn's style.**

* * *

 _I do not own anything in this fanfic except for any original content that I come up with. Mario belongs to Nintendo, which does not endorse or affiliate itself with this fanfic. Constructive criticism is allowed, but please, no flames._

And now, on to the comic!

* * *

 **Project Koopa, Part Three: Koopa Pack, Attack!**

* * *

"You know too much about Project Koopa for your own good. I'm afraid we and our sweet tank will have to put an end to you and your treasonous friends."

As unnerving as Mouser's words sounded, Princess Toadstool stood her ground, even as Marcus and Carrie his behind the princess. Evidently they never had to deal with the Koopa Pack in this manner before.

"Princess," whispered Silas, "maybe we should leave while there's an opening..."

But McKoopa had heard him. "Oh no, there's no leaving," he said. "A fight is inevitable if you want to leave, which you're not."

"Imagine the story you won't tell Mario when you say that a girl and three bad guys try to take on a tank that eats Toads for breakfast!" guffawed Triclyde.

Toadstool ignored them as she began to size up the tank. It was large, about the size of a tank from the Real World. It sported a large barrel for firing projectiles such as Bullet Bills, and also had three separate hatches for each Koopa Pack member.

"I was being figurative," Triclyde was saying as the cannon suddenly fired a cannonball at her, forcing her to leap back. "Of course this tank can't literally eat Toads for breakfast."

"Mmm... Toast..." sighed a distracted McKoopa.

"Don't get distracted," warned Mouser. "We're going to toast them, just like all toasters toast toast!"

"What were you saying about not being distracted?" interjected Marcus.

"Ha!" crowed Triclyde. "You were so busy getting distracted by our getting distracted that you didn't even notice me telling McKoopa to fire the cannon!"

Mouser and McKoopa deadpanned at him while the latter pressed the button to send another cannonball in the defects' direction. Carrie lifted Marcus out of the way as Silas leaped to the side.

Silas backed up a little. "What kind of villains are you? First you're dumb and lazy, then you're all serious-like, now you're back to being dumb again?"

McKoopa shrugged. "Old habits are hard to break." Pressing the button again, he watched as a cannonball sent him rocketing to the other side of the room.

"Besides," added Mouser, "when King Koopa is serious, so are we."

"Well, not always..." said Triclyde.

As the Koopa Pack kept talking amongst themselves, Carrie turned to the others. "How in the world do they know what we're doing?"

Silas rejoined them. "Sounds like Mallet told them."

"What?!" was the response of the other four.

"That's the likeliest deduction," sighed the Shy Guy.

"You're sure about that?" Toadstool began to ask, before she remembered something Mallet himself had said back at the house...

 _"You can't be too careful. We always need to make room for a change of plans."_

 _A change of plans..._

Why didn't she think of it before? Now she _knew_ Mallet was the culprit. He had deliberately left the other defects so he could tell the Koopa Pack about their plan. She had fallen into a trap.

"The nerve of him," whispered a now-angered Toadstool.

"The traitor!" declared Marcus.

"He's not a traitor," corrected Silas. "He's a double agent."

"Oh," said the Goomba. "That's much worse."

The princess turned to the tank, where the Koopa Pack were still distracted. "What's the best way to take that thing down?"

Marcus studied the tank and made his decision. "Sheer numbers."

"Really?" asked a surprised Silas.

"Yeah. There's four of us and only three of them."

"You do have a point there," said Silas. "Okay, it look like the tank's sides are unprotected, so we'll race there, climb aboard, and personally engage the Koopa Pack."

As Carrie and Marcus agreed, Toadstool had a feeling Silas' plan wouldn't work. She was right; for they hadn't even run ten feet when Mouser spotted them, and McKoopa fired another cannonball at them. The four were sent crashing into the back wall, where they lay in a heap.

Extricating himself from the pile, Marcus turned back to the tank. "No cannonball will stop me from defeating you!"

Silas freed himself as well. "Marcus, you can't fight them alone," he said. "You're going to need my help."

"You're right," said Marcus. "Two heads are better than one."

"Just as true as three heads are better than two!" shouted Triclyde as the two defects engaged the tank.

The princess and Carrie leaned against the wall and watched the battle.

"Some tank," said Toadstool.

"I know," agreed Carrie. "If only there was a way for us to destroy it."

"But we've been weakened by that last attack," responded the princess, "so we should probably rest a bit and think of a way to get rid of the tank."

Changing the subject, she asked, "By the way, do you know anything more than I do about Project Koopa?"

"No one told us anything," answered Carrie, confirming what Marcus had said earlier. "But I _did_ hear a minion leak something as he was heading back into the construction zone."

"What did he say?"

"He said the word ' _Doomship_ '."

Toadstool's eyes widened. "That sounds worse than I thought. Any idea of what it might be?"

"No. Judging by the name, it sounds like a massive ship of some sort."

"I was thinking the same thing."

An explosion ensued, sending Silas flying into the wall next to them. As he got back up and ran back into the fight, the princess said, "We need to help them. Just from where you are, do you see any weak spots on the tank?"

Carrie studied the tank carefully. "No, not that I can see- Wait a minute, is that a loose board on the back of the tank?"

"Yeah, it looks like it can easily be pried off," replied Toadstool.

Standing up, she turned to Marcus and Silas. "Guys! Group meeting!"

As the two defects came over, the princess hoped the Koopa Pack wouldn't hear her strategy. They gathered around Toadstool, out of earshot of the Koopa Pack.

"Carrie noticed a potential weak spot on the tank. There's a loose board on the back. The material it covers may be weaker than the rest of the tank."

"And you want us to pry the board off?" verified Silas.

"Yes."

"Right them, one board coming right off!"

Calling Carrie over, the four rallied together and charged toward the back of the tank.

Unfortunately, Triclyde caught on to them. "Wait, what are you doing?!"

He looked behind him, and saw the loose board. "We've got a weak spot!" he shouted. "Put her in reverse!"

"I'm trying! I'm trying!" yelled Mouser as he activated the spare controls. "Ze tank is just simply too heavy!"

"Why did we have to build such a big, heavy tank?" complained McKoopa as the tank took its time backing up.

By this time, Toadstool's team had reached the back of the tank. "Now!" she ordered. She and the defects all pulled on the board at once, grinning at the satisfying snap as the board was ripped off.

"You blundering idiots!" Mouser shouted. "It took us four whole months to build this thing!"

"Hey, is the wood underneath rotting...?" wondered Marcus.

"Is it?" wondered Triclyde, craning his necks over to look.

"Don't listen to zem!" warned Mouser. "Zere's no way zis tank can be rotting now. After all, it's only five months old!"

Pulling a Fire Flower from her dress pocket, she smirked. "Time to light things up."

"Wait, what?" McKoopa gaped.

"It's okay," reassured Triclyde. "The outer layer is completely fireproof."

"But not the inner layer!" shouted the petrified McKoopa as the determined princess threw fireball after fireball at the exposed weak spot. The defects were cheering her on.

"We're overheating!" exclaimed Mouser.

Soon a tremendous explosion ensued, raining tank parts everywhere. The Koopa Pack were lying in a heap on the ground. One of the tank wheels rolled to a stop next to them.

"Anyone get the number of that level?" mumbled a disoriented McKoopa.

"How about World -1?" replied Triclyde.

"Everyone knows zat's just a glitch," Mouser said.

Toadstool turned to the defects. "We need to leave now," she said.

"Actually, Princess," spoke Silas. "I believe we'll be of more help from here."

"No, I can't risk that," said the princess. "Mallet and the Koopa Pack already know about your defecting, and by now King Koopa does, too. You need to come with me."

Glancing at the dazed Koopa Pack, Marcus nodded. "Yes, we'll come with you."

"The exit is this way," Silas said as he led the way. They tried to advance as quickly and quietly as they could.

"The guards could be awake by now," warned Carrie.

"That's a risk we're going to have to take!" said Toadstool.

It didn't take long for everyone to reach the front door. Silas and Toadstool opened it, and were met with six Koopa guards. One was missing his spear - the one Mallet took.

"Run!" ordered Silas as the guards approached. "We'll cover you!"

Normally she would fight the guards alongside the defects, but this was an extraordinary situation, and she didn't need to be asked twice. She took off running without looking back.

As she ran, she thought of what to tell Mario, and how to explain her secrecy of this mission. For the most part, the mission was accomplished, and she even gained three new allies in the process. She had nothing to lose.

She ran without stopping for a whole ten minutes. When she finally stopped, she looked back. She could still see the castle, but it was very far away. Then she saw three specks running in her direction.

The defects!

It took about three minutes for them to catch up to her.

"How was the fight?" she asked.

"Luckily, they didn't call for reinforcements," said Marcus, "so we were able to win easily."

"That's good," said Toadstool. "Now let's go find Mario."

* * *

Mallet took a deep breath as he stood before the door to the throne room. Having left the defects to their fate, he had taken it into his head to tell King Koopa the news. Normally the Koopa king did not allow his minions to just up and walk into his throne room without permission, but he was a Hammer Bro. Perhaps he treated them differently.

He knocked on the door.

"Come in," said the voice on the other side.

One more deep breath later, Mallet opened the door and walked through the double doors. There sat King Koopa on the throne.

"King Koopa," started Mallet, "you have traitors in your midst."

Koopa was shocked, but he didn't show this. "Uh-huh," he said. "How did you find this out?"

"After overhearing one of them plan to bring the princess here to see Project Koopa, I posed as a defect myself - and successfully blended right in. They never suspected a thing."

Apparently Koopa was trying to hold back his growing temper.

"While Princess Toadstool was crawling through the air vents to get to Project Koopa," he continued, "I broke away from the group of defects to ask the Koopa Pack to take care of them with their tank. I didn't see the outcome, but the Koopa Pack should probably have finished them off by now."

Koopa got up off the throne and walked over to the window. "Wanna see if you're right?"

Shaking slightly, Mallet walked over to the window next to the one Koopa was at. They could clearly see the three defects fleeing, and the princess far in the distance. Mallet feared the worst from a now-steaming Koopa, who suddenly turned on him.

"You idiot!" roared Koopa, causing Mallet to cower. "Thanks to you, the princess now knows about my project. Thanks to you, we just lost three minions! Thanks to you, those three minions are now sided with our enemy! Now, with the information she's learned, she'll be able to adequately prepare the kingdom! Now we're forced to delay the project!"

Then he had a second thought. "But what if we _speed up_ the project instead? Yes, I think I'll do that."

Turning back to Mallet, he said, "Mallet, I'm giving you access to the Project Koopa room. Help get the project ready to fly by dawn while I prepare an invasion force."

He knew the project still had a ways to go, but he did not dare question orders. "Yes, sir," he saluted before leaving the room.

Koopa looked out the window once more. "Your knowledge of the Doomship won't help you, Princess, not in the long run," he monologued. "Soon your kingdom will be in my hands. And your father, if I can find him. And your plumber friends will be no more."

An evil laugh escaped his lips as he anticipated dawn.

 _This is not looking good for the kingdom... Whatever will happen next? Come back next time for the conclusion to **Cracking the Koopa Code**!_

* * *

 **A/N:** And that concludes the miniseries. I think this was the best arc I've ever written, probably because I love espionage and infiltration stories. And this story used minimal tech! Mouser's "All toasters toast toast" quote undoubtedly comes from Hotel Mario (I love the memes it has generated), and Triclyde's "three heads are better than two" quote comes from the Super Mario Bros. Super Show! episode "The Great Gladiator Gig." Also, if you've seen The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, you'll know exactly what's in store for Mario and the Mushroom Kingdom...

* * *

"Hey, paisanos," said Mario, "it's time for **Ask the Mario Characters!** Where you, the readers, get to send us questions and dares, and we'll answer them and act them... if we feel like it. Today's Q&Ds are from-"

" **breath20k** ," interrupted Mouser.

"How did you know?" asked Mario. "Did you see the envelope?"

"No," Mouser replied. "I knew because he's been our sole contributor for six straight issues."

"And we don't have enough variety, I know," said Koopa.

"Don't worry; I'm sure we'll get more contributors later," said Mario. First dare is for the Koopalings, who are still tired from their race: **Have a burger eating competition with a two-minute time limit while blindfolded. The referee will be Spore.** He also adds: **Have everyone count down the final ten seconds.** "

"A burger eating contest!" cheered Iggy.

"What kind of burger?" asked Larry.

"Do we have to share?" wondered Wendy.

"Everyone's getting separate burgers," said Mario as the burgers appeared in the Koopalings' hands.

"Bonus Dare!" announced Mario. "Spore has one hundred seconds to tie the blindfolds on all seven Koopalings. Ready? Go!"

As the "Hurry Up" sound effect played, Spore quickly tied on the seven blindfolds.

"There are three seconds left over!" announced Mario. "Great job."

"I can almost smell the Super Koopaling Special Ultra Double Ranch with Big Meat Patty and Bacon & Knuckles!" rambled Morton.

"That's because you can, Morton," droned the other Koopalings.

"Oh, right. I knew that."

"Let the contest begin!" announced Spore as the Koopalings began eating.

"Remember: two minutes. 120 seconds," reminded Toad.

He began daydreaming of his own backstory. Perhaps he was the head retainer before Koopa arrived. Perhaps his race was not really the Toad race after all. Perhaps he was - dare he say it - a HUMAN?!

Changing the subject of his thoughts, he imagined himself fighting Koopa's forces in his castle. He had a Bob-omb in his hand, and he wasn't afraid to use it. Setting it down in the throne room, he activated his Raccoon Suit and flew out the window. He mentally counted down from ten the seconds until the Bob-omb exploded. His thoughts were so loud he thought he could hear them.

Three...

Two...

One...

He was snapped back to reality to find that, instead of a Bob-omb exploding, it was the sound of Mario announcing that the Koopalings had all tied with one second remaining.

"Great job, you guys!" Mario praised. "Even though you are the enemy..."

"Only in the main story," amended Ludwig.

"Next is for me and Luigi: **Have a Super Roshambo match and the referee is McKoopa. Also, when both players are ready, have everyone say the final part at the same time.** "

"Right then," McKoopa cleared his throat as the Super Roshambo cards appeared. "Are you both ready?"

"They'll be readier than they are now as soon as we fix our tank," said Triclyde.

"We're ready," said Mario.

The plumbers eyed the cards they had chosen, and prepared to flip them over. McKoopa cleared his throat.

"Ro..."

"Sham...

The entire room joined him, together shouting:

" **BO!** "

Immediately the brothers flipped the cards over.

"I got scissors," announced Mario.

"Ah, but I got rock," crowed Luigi.

"You know what that means, ladies and gentlemen!" said McKoopa. "Green 'Stache wins!"

"That's _Luigi_ ," the addressed plumber corrected.

"We still have one more question for us today," said Mario as he looked at the envelope. "And it's for the princess. **In your miniseries, how did you find the project?** "

"For the most part, I relied on Marcus. He knew where the project was located, even though he never entered the Project Koopa room. Therefore, I believe he had no trouble finding where it was."

"And that will do it for us today!" said Mario. "Now, **you can ask questions to Marcus, Silas, Carrie, and Mallet!** "

Mario did his best to ignore the fuming King Koopa.

"You'll pay, Princess, for spoiling my project! And you too, Mallet, for letting her get away!"

"I'm afraid we will need to cut his rant short," said Mario. "Until next time, everybody, do the Mario!"


	24. SMB Issue 21 (Jul 1991)

**A/N:** We're fast approaching the first milestone issue, so I'd like to give you a heads-up: I'm going to put this story on hiatus after the milestone issue so I can expand my backlog. The hiatus will probably last one to two months. In the meantime, you can check the progress of my backlog on my profile page, and read my other stories such as Logical Mario and The Mossflower Excursion. Once I have my backlog updated through Issue 50, I will resume this story.

Also, I've been lazy, if that explains why this chapter is late.

* * *

 _ **NormanWhitesmith**_

 _Interesting wrap up. Nice job._

 _Also, I did contribute some things to the ask segment twice within the past six issues and you didn't decide to do them. I'm not saying that's bad at all, because it's your choice if you want to do it, but I stopped submitting things because I realized you probably don't want to do mine (which again, is fine)._

 _All I'm saying is that nobody submitting things isn't accurate._

 _I wonder how cracking the Koopa code will go._

 **Thanks!**

 **It's not that I don't want to do your questions and dares. In fact, I _do_ want to do them. The reason I'm not doing these questions and dares is because they were submitted in the reviews section instead of PM. If I do Q&Ds plosted in the reviews, I would risk the story getting deleted. From now on, please submit your Q&Ds in the PMs, and I'll be more than happy to pass them on to Mario and co. ;)**

 **I hope you understand.**

 **As for Cracking the Koopa Code... Only one way to find out, right?**

* * *

 _ **breath20k**_

 _Looks like the project is almost done! Nice!_

 **Who knows what Project Koopa will be capable of once it launches...**

* * *

 _ **animegamefanatic**_

 _I knew Mallet was a traitor!_

 **Not just a traitor, but a double agent. Unfortunately, the princess should have known that Hammer Bros. are always loyal to King Koopa.**

* * *

 _ **James Birdsong**_

 _Good chapters_

 **Thanks!**

* * *

 _I do not own anything in this fanfic except for any original content that I come up with. Mario belongs to Nintendo, which does not endorse or affiliate itself with this fanfic. Constructive criticism is allowed, but please, no flames._

And now, on to the comic!

* * *

 **Cracking the Koopa Code, Part 4: Lake Escape**

* * *

"Thought you could escape from us?" said Ludwig. "Think again."

Mario and Luigi were cornered by the Koopalings. If that wasn't bad enough, they had just escaped from a haunted fortress into the cold night environment of Ice Land.

"So, boys," said Lemmy. "What did you think of my haunted funhouse?"

"Oh, it was... er... fun," Mario said. "Difficulty was fun-sized as well. Now if you don't mind, Lemmy, we'll just be on our way."

The Koopalings jaws dropped. Clearly they did not expect the Mario Brothers to find out the secret of their names. But why were they secret? That's what Mario wanted to find out.

But for now...

"Let's beat feet, Luigi!" called Mario as he grabbed Luigi's hand and took off running.

"Wait!" shouted Ludwig as he and the other Kooplings gave chase.

"Tell us how you know our names!" demanded Roy.

"Well, it looks like I've got a little time on my hands right now, so I can tell you."

"Oh, for pity's sake..." Luigi sighed at his brother's impulsive remarks.

"I overheard your conversation, and wrote your names down. Why were they secret, anyway?"

"It has to do with our past," Larry said, "before you guys came along. But we won't go into details."

"The princess knows about our real names," continued Ludwig. "If she put two and two together, that could spell danger for us."

"Good on you for cracking the Koopa code," said Wendy. "I was beginning to hate the name Kootie Pie anyway."

"I'll have to talk to Princess Toadstool about this," Mario reminded himself. To the Koopalings he said: "Oh, and thanks for the fight with Boom Boom! He was a piece of cake!"

"But we saw you!" shouted Morton. "You couldn't hav outrun those Hot Feet, because they would have caught up to you, and then they would have burned you, and weakened you so that Boom Boom could-"

"You won't make fools out of us!" interjected Roy, thankfully interrupting Morton.

"We'll be the last thing you'll ever see!" shouted Iggy as the Koopalings charged their wands and started to pursue the plumbers.

There was one thing that Luigi couldn't ignore. "Where did you get those wands?" he said. "You didn't steal them from the seven castles again, did you?"

"Oh, no, _no_ ," answered Wendy. "Daddy had duplicates made, although they're not _nearly_ as powerful as the originals."

"Enough small talk!" shouted Ludwig. "Just finish them!"

"How can you finish us if you haven't even started-ed-ed-ed-"

Mario felt his feet sliding out from under him. He knew he had ran out onto a frozen lake. Then he saw it: a giant hole in the middle of the ice and exposed water. The Koopalings must have thrown something heavy into the lake at some point. But it was just a guess, anyway.

Mario knew that to enter the lake was suicide, but he turned in the direction Luigi suddenly pointed in, and saw the Koopalings standing on the bank of the lake.

"What are we gonna do?" cried Luigi.

Mario turned back to the crack in the lake.

"Only one thing _to_ do."

Taking a deep breath, and bracing himself for the chill, he plunged into the lake. Luigi looked on in shock, which turned to anger when the Koopalings began laughing.

"I bet the aquatic life is gonna get to Mario faster than he can call dibs on Mushrooms fresh from the ? Block," predicted Roy.

"That is, if hypothermia doesn't set in first," said Ludwig.

"What's the matter, Greenie?" heckled Iggy. "Are you afraid of the water? Is little Luigi scared of the big bad monsters that live down there?" The Koopalngs laughed harder.

"Here, let me give you hand!" offered Larry as he fired a magic blast at Luigi. who was forced to dive into the lake as well to avoid the harmful spell.

Luigi had to admit, swimming in a frozen lake at night wasn't his idea of fun. Neither was searching for his brother whom he was separated from in said lake. But he had to deal with both of these things at once.

The water was freezing! On top of that, he couldn't see a thing, save for the sparks leaping off of the nearby Jelectros. Luigi saw that they illuminated several Cheep-Cfheeps and Bloopers. He was fascinated by the fact that they didn't seem to mind the cold at all. He wondered if-

Suddenly something grabbed his arm and pulled him through the water. What gives? Could this be an unseen predator?

He turned his head to see what it was. To his relief, it was Mario. He was wearing a Frog Suit, which explained their speed. As an explanation for Mario's actions, he pointed in the distance. There was a Big Bertha just swimming away. Luigi shuddered, and not just from the cold. Mario had saved him from becoming fish food.

Taking Luigi's hand, Mario swam for shore, skillfully avoiding the Jelectros and other aquatic life. They surfaced at a different part of the lake, where strange sounds met their ears.

It was the sound of fighting!

As the plumbers climbed out of the lake, they saw that the Koopalings were firing their wands at an unseen adversary who was throwing fireballs to counter their magic blasts.

At a closer glance, Mario and Luigi saw that it was-

No, it couldn't be...

"Toad!" Luigi shouted as they ran through the snow.

"You came for us!" added Mario.

"I wouldn't let good friends down," he replied as he sidestepped another magic blast. "Get back to the village! I'll hold off the Koopalings."

"No, Toad," said Mario. "You can't possibly stop the Koopalings on your own. Let's all leave together."

"You're right," Toad said. His feistiness and overdedication to tasks often got the better of him.

Throwing a few more fireballs at the Koopalings, Toad turned back to the brothers, and they took off running, not even stopping when they heard Ludwig's voice:

"You know we can outrun you, right?'

Mario heard the sound of running behind him, and motioned for his friends to run faster. But what happed next he did not expect.

There was a sound of ringing coming from the fortress. Just when Toad was about to ask what it could be, he heard Larry shout "Telephone!", followed by the sound of the Koopalings running toward the fortress to see who could possibly be calling them.

Only when the fortress was out of sight did Luigi slow down. "What was that all about?"

"Beats me," replied his brother," but I think it might have something to do with King Koopa."

Then his eyes widened in realization. "Chances are the Koopalings are telling him about our escape!"

"That's not good," Toad said as he began to pick up the pace slightly. "We'll head back to the village and make our last stand there!"

"If we're lucky, the princess might be done her mission!" thought an optimistic Luigi as the three hurried along.

* * *

They returned to the village some time later. It wasn't Mario's fault Mushroom Land was so large.

"Where's the princess?" wondered Mario, looking around.

Luigi pointed to the hills in the distance. "Over there!"

Sure enough, Princess Toadstool was running toward them. But they were surprised to see that she was accompanied by three of King Koopa's minions: a Goomba, a Shy Guy, and a Paratroopa.

Mario approached them. "What's going on?" he asked.

"No time," she panted. Clearly she had been running for quite some time. "Evacuate the village," she continued.

"What?" said a confused Luigi.

But, despite her lack of energy, she was deadly serious.

Her next words struck like lightning from a cloudless sky.

"Prepare for an invasion."

 _Out of the frying pan into the fire! When will Mario ever get a break? Will Mushroom Land get a break? More importantly, will the Mario Brothers be able to protect it from King Koopa's invasion? Come back next time for part one of **The Invasion**!_

* * *

 **A/N:** And with that, POW! Another story arc bites the dust! Why were the Koopalings' names super-secret, you may ask? That will be revealed in due time. I actually referenced three different Mario sources in this chapter (four if you count this author's note, which is totally not Lord Crump). First, Mario telling Luigi to "beat feet" is from Super Mario Adventures. Next, the lines "What are we gonna do?/Only one thing to do" are from the now-dead webcomic New Super Mario Adventures. Finally, the lines "Where's the princess?/Over there!" are from Hotel Mario. Now of you'll excuse me, I gotta evacuate and prepare myself for Koopa's invasion after the following section.

* * *

"Hey, paisanos," said Mario, "it's time for **Ask the Mario Characters!** Where you, the readers, get to send us questions and dares, and we'll answer them and act them... if we feel like it."

"If we feel like it," mocked Koopa. "You know we end up doing the dares every time, right?"

"You don't want to let **breath20k** down, do you?"

"Grrr... Fine, but can I read the envelope this time?"

"Now _this_ is a first... okay, yes. Here you go."

"Ahem," Koopa cleared his throat as he read the first dare. " **This dare is for Mario: Shoot twenty free throws while blindfolded! When Mario's ready to shoot, have everyone say the word to begin the game and he only has three minutes to make it. Also, the scoreboard will have the buzzer from now on and have everyone count down the final five seconds. The referee... Toad!** "

"This will be a piece of cake compared to some of the previous dares!" said Mario as the basketball net and box of basketballs appeared.

Toad tied the blindfold on. "Ready?"

"As long as Waluigi keeps on cheating." Of course, everyone knew as a fact that the skinny plumber would never give up cheating.

"Scoreboard, please set the timer for three minutes," requested Toad. The sentient scoreboard from Mushroom Kingdom Adventures agreed as " _3:00_ " appeared on its seven-segment LED display.

"Remember Mario: twenty shots in three minutes! Three... two... one..."

"GO!" everyone shouted as Mario immediately reached for the nearest basketball and started shooting.

"You know," started Mallet, "this challenge seems easier than the previous basketball challenges breath20k offered us."

Spore nodded.

Time passed and Mario had fourteen shots with one minute remaining. Now fifteen.

"He'll need to average a shot every twelve shots now," calculated Triclyde.

"Oh hush," Toadstool chided. "I know Mario will make it."

Mario scored four more baskets. Now there were twelve seconds left Everyone began to count down from ten.

"TEN..."

"NINE..."

"EIGHT..."

"SEVEN..."

"SIX..."

"FIVE..."

"FOUR..."

And then came the satisfying sound of a ball falling through the net. The buzzer sounded. Mario had scored his twentieth basket.

"Not bad, Mario," Koopa congratulated. "My minions could learn from you... if I let them. Next dare is for the princess and McKoopa: **Eat as many burgers as you can in one minute while blindfolded! Whoever has the most when the buzzer sounds, wins. Spore will be the referee for this dare.** Do you mind if I protest anything Spore does?"

"Not at all," snickered the caped Toad. "Not that you'll get your way, anyway. Okay, contestants, you ready?"

"Ready!" agreed Toadstool and McKoopa.

The scoreboard put one minute on the timer as Spore shouted "Go!" Immdiately the contestants reached for the burgers and began eating. Fortunately these were mini burgers, so the contestants wouldn't be partway through one burger at the end of the challenge.

It was truly amazing how fast the burgers were being consumed. At last the buzzer signaled the end of the event.

"And the winner, with a score of 5-4, is..."

The room was silent.

"McKoopa!"

"Good job, McKoopa," congratulated the princess as the Koopa let out a belch. "But maybe I can win something next time."

"Looks like we have another dare here," said Koopa. " **I have one more and it's for Roy and Koopa: Have an arm wrestling contest! The referee is... Mallet!** C'mere, big guy."

As Roy got up and walked over to his dad, Mallet got up as well?" "Ready?" he asked.

"Oh yeah!" agreed a slightly overconfident Roy.

"Now let's not get too rough... especially since we need Koopa for the next arc! Three! Two! One!"

"GO!" everyone shouted.

And it was on. At first Koopa had the upper hand, but it appeared that he relented little, enough for Roy to get a foothold - or rather, an _arm_ hold.

"Go Roy!" cheered the Koopalings.

"Go King Dad!" rooted Morton.

"Don't tell me you're not being a team player," snapped Wendy.

"Sorry. Force of habit," Morton said.

Roy tried hard to overcome his dad, but Koopa managed to pin Roy's arm so he couldn't move it.

"Three! Two! One! Knockout!"

The buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the match.

"King Koopa wins!" announced Mallet. He shook hands with the Koopa king. "Great job."

"That's why I'm the king," bragged Koopa. "Until next time, everybody, do the Koopa!"

"No!" protested Mario. "That still gives me nightmares. Do the Mario instead; it's much better for your personal health and safety. See you later, paisanos!"


	25. SMB Issue 22 (Aug 1991)

**A/N:** Hey guys, just a quick heads-up that I'm going to put this story on hiatus after Issue 25 (Chapter 28). The reason for this is because I need to expand my backlog to prevent unnecessarily long delays. The story should come back in a couple months, though. In the meantime, my other stories will continue.

Also, I can't believe it's already been over a whole month since the last chapter! Sorry about the delay; I've been a little lazy, and besides, Garry's Mod isn't helping. (Neither is Baldi.)

One last note, and this goes especially to breath20k: Since I am becoming overwhelmed with the dares, I will not accept any dares from Issues 22-25 (Chapters 25-28). Any dares I do have will still be done. After Issue 25, I will do only one dare per issue/chapter. Questions will still be done, though.

* * *

 _ **animegamefanatic**_

 _oh crap. from one/two disasters to another. Mario bros prepare yourselves for your biggest challenge. the MK, its other lands, worlds, and the real world are in trouble._

 _I have a feeling the princess may gather several characters the group came into contact through their travels (through games, comics, and tv series) to discuss the threat while the bros prepare themselves. because Bowser is-a coming._

 **Bowser is-a coming indeed! We're talking impossible odds if it were just the four heroes against the countless hundreds of troops under his command. This is going to be epic.**

* * *

 _ **breath20k**_

 _Looks like the invasion is coming! That's a good chapter!_

 **Thanks!**

* * *

 _ **Guest**_

 _I didn't really like Super Paper Mario. The story doesn't really get that good until you get really late into the game. Until then, you have to deal with annoying side characters, cliche tropes, and a few OOC moments (especially from Luigi)._

 _If you do make a SPM adaptation, I recommend basing it off the Super Mario Kun version, which handled it much better. Or make some improvements of your own._

 **I do plan to make an SPM adaptation for SMB:TNC, especially since I've got my own ideas for it. Unfortunately, I've never read Super Mario-Kun. I'd love to, but there isn't an ongoing attempt to translate it. If you can find a popular translator besides MarioKunFanslator on DeviantArt (he hasn't updated since 2012), that would be great.**

* * *

 _ **Guest**_

 _This story isn't dead yet, is it?_

 **Oh, far from! Don't worry; this story isn't going anywhere!**

* * *

 _I do not own anything in this fanfic except for any original content that I come up with. Mario belongs to Nintendo, which does not endorse or affiliate itself with this fanfic. Constructive criticism is allowed, but please, no flames._

And now, on to the comic!

* * *

 **The Invasion, Part 1: The First Wave**

* * *

"Prepare for an invasion."

Mario, Luigi, and Toad were stunned. They clearly were not expecting an invasion, especially not at this time. Then again, Mario had no idea what Princess Toadstool was doing at the castle, so there were certainly unanswered questions. He would have to find time to ask them.

"An invasion? _Now?_ " exclaimed Mario.

"At this time of night?!" added an incredulous Luigi.

"But we _just_ encountered the Koopalings, and-"

"They might have been a diversion," Toadstool cut Toad short, as they were pressed for time.

"Uh, Princess?" Luigi started. "Why do you have some of King Koopa's minions with you?"

"It's a long story," said the princess. "Right now, I need you and Mario to watch for the invasion force." She pointed in the general direction of Castle Koopa. "It should come from about that direction. Toad, come with me. We need to evacuate the village."

"Right away, Princess!" replied Toad as he followed his princess and the defects down to the village.

As they left, Mario and Luigi headed for one of Grass Land's tallest hills for an efficient lookout.

"Wow," Luigi said as he straightened his cap. "It must have taken a lot of guts for those minions to defect to our side."

"If I'm right, there's more to it than meets the eye," speculated Mario. Changing the subject, he said, "We don't know how big the invasion force is, but there is one thing we can be sure of."

"And what's that?"

"We'll be ready for whatever Koopa throws at us."

* * *

Koopa was just seeing off the first wave of the invasion force. Things were going smoothly, and, with Mallet leading the force, nothing could go wrong.

Actually, take that last part back.

Suddenly, the Koopalings literally appeared, via Magic Whistles, in the entrance hall with Koopa, taking him by surprise.

"Gah! Where did you come from?!" he sputtered.

"Ice Land," stated Lemmy in a matter-of-fact manner.

"What?" Koopa was curious to know what his children were doing all the way out there.

"Right after supper we headed to Mario's house to capture him," explained Larry.

"And my pizza delivery ruse worked perfectly!" exclaimed Iggy.

The Koopalings went on to explain the situation in Ice Land.

"Everything was going smoothly until _Toad_ showed up," pouted Wendy.

"You know, I'm not mad at you today," said Koopa. "At least you tried, and that's what matters."

He began pacing the floor. "Anyway, I'm glad you arrived. I want you to take over from Mallet's invasion force, which left moments ago."

"How many of us do you want to go?" asked Roy.

"You can decide amongst yourselves," said Koopa, "but three or four will do."

"Let's see," pondered Ludwig. "While I'm certainly capable enough, I'll stay here and help with whatever, if His Majesty King Dad doesn't mind."

"I don't mind, but just choose quickly," Koopa replied.

"I'll go," volunteered Roy and Wendy at the same time, but Wendy turned to Roy. "Absolutely not, Roy Koopa. How can we expect you to lead when you're all brawn and no brain?"

"I think I might want to go," pondered Larry.

"Me too," added Lemmy.

"Aren't you a bit too young to direct an army?" said Ludwig.

"Size matters not," said a matter-of-fact Koopa while looking at Morton, who stepped over with Larry and Lemmy.

As King Koopa saw that Morton would go with the others, he cleared his throat. "That took longer than I wanted, but I will send Morton, Wendy, Larry, and Lemmy to lead the first wave."

"Yes!" Morton fist-pumped. "I always wanted to lead an invasion force! I can't wait to crush, stomp, annihilate, decimate-"

"We get the idea," said the other Koopalings, clearly annoyed with Morton.

"All right, let's go!" shouted Larry.

"Hold up!" Koopa waved his hands. He stepped over to Wendy and whispered a few words in her ear. Larry was only able to catch the word "ignore".

"Okay, you're set, " announced Koopa. "Tell Mallet that he can direct the next wave. He's too good a minion to be sent out right away."

"Right, King Dad!" responded the Koopalings as all of them except for Ludwig, Roy, and Iggy headed out.

Koopa crossed his arms. Things were just getting better for him, and, if he played his cards right, Mushroom Land would be his by morning.

* * *

There would be no rest for the princess that night. She had to get the villagers out of the village before the invasion forces arrived, and she had no idea when that would be.

"Thank you so much," said one of the Toad villagers as Toadstool and Toad loaded her backpack with her belongings. Silas, Marcus, and Carrie were helping other villagers, while keeping a lookout for the invasion forces.

As the villager left, the princess turned to the defects. "Anything?" she asked.

"Nothing... yet," replied Silas.

"Good thing the boys are keeping a lookout from Grass Land," remarked the princess. "If they see anything, they'll be able to give us an early warning. Speaking of the Mario Brothers, I might as well ask for an update."

She started to leave, but looked back to the others. "Keep doing what you're doing. I'll be back in five minutes."

"Right away, Princess," the former minions responded.

* * *

If it weren't for the dire situation and the time of night, Mario would have enjoyed the view of Grass Land from the air. He and Luigi, powered by Super Leaves, were flying around Grass Land, looming for the first signs of the invasion force.

"I'm getting bored," yawned Luigi.

"Don't give up now," encouraged his brother. "If it weren't for us, the entire village could fall into jeopardy."

"Anything to report?" came the Toadstool's voice from below them.

Mario and Luigi swooped down and landed on the ground in front of the princess. "Nothing yet," he responded.

Then Mario remembered what he wanted to ask her.

"Princess," he started, "out of curiosity, what was your secret mission you said you were on earlier?"

"The secret's out now, so I might as well tell you," she said. "While you were taking care of the charity garden, I maintained contact with a minion who defected. He arranged for me to be sneaked into the castle to learn about a new secret weapon King Koopa is making. I also ended up meeting two other defects and a very clever double agent."

"Sounds exciting," remarked Luigi.

"But why all the secrecy?" Mario asked.

The princess giggled, which threw Mario and Luigi off guard. "You know, it sort of sounds silly," she said, "but the secrecy was for your own good. I didn't want you knowing ahead of time in case you were kidnapped and interrogated."

"That is thoughtful," replied Mario.

"You don't have to worry about us, Princess," reassured Luigi. "We can take care of ourselves. Right, Mario?"

"Most of the time, yes," admitted Mario. "But even the strongest of heroes needs help every once in a while."

"I couldn't agree more, Mario," said Luigi.

"Princess!" called Toad from the village. "One of the villagers needs your help, and the others are busy!"

"Coming!"

Before leaving, Toadstool turned back to Mario. "Keep watching for Koopa's invasion force. We can't afford to let it sneak in unnoticed."

"Yes, Princess."

As Toadstool went back down the hill, Mario resumed his watch for the invasion. This would be a looooong night...

* * *

It wasn't long before the villager had his belonging packed into a blanket and was sent on his way. Fortunately, the village was nearly empty, and Toadstool had assigned them a place to go.

Even with the village clearing out, there were still plenty of villagers to go. The princess would not give up.

She had just sent off another villager when she heard the frantic voice of Luigi.

"Princess!" he exclaimed as Luigi ran down the hill toward her. "They're coming!"

Mario was right on his heels. "Hundreds of them!"

Toadstool tried not to show any fear she had. She knew she and the Mario Bros. could take on a few enemies on previous missions, like back at Cramalot or Rotundaland. But this was a different matter entirely. This was a full-scale invasion.

Then the words of her father's letter came to mind:

 _"I don't know if I will see you again, but I want you to be brave, Princess. Be brave for me. Be brave for the Mushroom Kingdom."_

She felt strengthened by these words. They gave her the courage to handle whatever came her way. Even though neither she nor the plumbers had items with them, Grass Land was right outside the village. There were plenty of ? Blocks holding things that could be used against the invasion force.

Except for one thing.

The invasion force wasn't headed for the village.

This she didn't expect.

"What's with them?" questioned Mario.

"I have no idea..." said Luigi.

Then realization and horror struck Toadstool.

"Boys," she started, her voice starting to quaver. "They're not heading into the village. No, they're after a far more vulnerable target."

She looked back at the invasion force as they were now getting further away.

"My castle..."

 _Next time: Mario vs. the invasion!_

* * *

 **A/N:** Yes, you may have noticed that I didn't go all out with my next time thing there. I was starting to run out of ideas, and besides, I wanted to go for more of an IDW approach (I really dig the new Sonic comic, BTW).

Line

"Hey, paisanos," said Mario, "it's time for **Ask the Mario Characters!** Where you, the readers, get to send us questions, and we'll answer them and act them-"

"If we feel like it," everyone else echoed.

"Uh..." Mallet stuttered. "From what I read in the brochure before I got here, we're supposed to say something funny before we start, right?"

"Not necessarily," Toadstool answered. "And I'd rather you not, since you're one of our enemies."

"Double agent," he corrected.

"Is everyone ready?" Mario asked. Everyone else cheered.

"Let's-a go! Our first question is for me, Luigi, Toad, and the princess: **What are your best moments from each arc, starting from the beginning?** You first, Princess."

"Mine was Project Koopa," she answered. "I just love a good infiltration mission - a stark contrast to most of my game appearances."

"That rescue mission in Cracking the Koopa Code was awesome!" exclaimed Toad.

"Uh..." pondered Luigi. "Is it okay if I said As You Love It is my favorite?"

"Why?" Koopa said with a strange grin on his face. "It is because you're fanboying Bill Spearshaker?"

Several of the villains laughed, causing Luigi to blush.

"Okay," Mario announced, "Mine was The Koopalings."

"Really?" Toadstool was interested.

"Yeah. There was just something really thrilling about battling the Koopalings to rescue the princess."

"I thought you thought we were annoying," Wendy stated.

"Oh, you are. Just not all the time," Mario replied.

"We're not trying to be annoying," Iggy amended.

"Yeah. We just want to be big and mean like King Dad," Roy added.

"Next question is for Marcus and Silas: **What are your favorite hobbies?** "

"That's a tough one..." thought Silas.

"You know..." Marcus sighed. "We never did much in the way of games or hobbies. We, like all the other minions, were made to be extremely loyal to King Koopa."

"But whenever we got a chance, we'd sneak in a game of marbles. One time a minion snuck in a deck of cards for us," Silas said.

"That's so sad..." Toadstool said.

"But you're free now," Mario was optimistic. "You get to experience _freedom_ away from King Koopa."

"That's true," Marcus said. "But right now we've got an invasion to deal with!"

"I bet our old boss and Mallet are going to be pret-ty mad with us," Silas imagined.

"Might as well wrap this up and prepare!" announced Mario. "Tune in next time as we take on Koopa's forces!"


	26. SMB Issue 23 (Sep 1991)

**A/N:** Hey guys, sorry if updates have been slow. I still aim for twice-a-month updates, but it can be hard to stick to when I'm lazy and working on five stories at once.

Also, I have a new Sonic and Baldi story up! It's temporarily on hold because I'm creating a reference map for it, but it will be continued soon.

* * *

 _ **Hi**_ \- Will Super Mario Odyssey be the sries finale?

 **There is no planned finale to this story, but there will definitely be Super Mario Odyssey elements in this story! Don't expect them until Issue 336 at the earliest, though.**

 _ **animegamefanatic**_ \- oh Crap! Its begun! Gather up all the troops Mario boys, its time!

 **But will even the Mushroom Kingdom army be enough to stop this great threat. Find out next, only on SMB:TNC! :D**

 _ **breath20k**_ \- Even though I can't use the dares from now until Issue 25 (Chapter 28), this story is awesome! Can't wait to see what happens next!

 **Yeah, sorry about the dares. I just started to feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of them.**

 _ **Guest**_ \- Is Toadette going to be in this?

 **Definitely! Issue 169 will most likely be her earliest appearance.**

 _ **Guest**_ \- You do know that the Paper Mario games take place in an other demension, right?

 **I know very well about this. Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam confirmed it. However, I will still use the characters. Consider them as not being their paper selves; for example, a normal Grodus and a paper Grodus. It will still be until Issue 131 that characters such as Kammy and Twink will appear, though.**

 _ **y**_ \- Will there be a Warioware apdaption?

 **Oh yes. I have big plans for WarioWare. Issue 163 may be their earliest appearance.**

 _ **a**_ \- Hey, updates have been a lot slower. Is everything alright?

 **Yeah, everything's fine. Updates can be slower when I'm working on five stories at once. One of them is even bigger than this one.**

* * *

 _I do not own anything in this fanfic except for any original content that I come up with. Mario belongs to Nintendo, which does not endorse or affiliate itself with this fanfic. Constructive criticism is allowed, but please, no flames._

And now, on to the comic!

* * *

 **The Invasion, Part 2: Defend the Castle!**

"Boys," Princess Toadstool started, her voice starting to quaver. "They're not heading into the village. No, they're after a far more vulnerable target."

She looked back at the invasion force as they were now getting further away.

"My castle..."

"What?!" the Mario Bros cried in unison.

Then Mario realized something. "Of course," he said. "Of course they'd go after the castle. It's mostly abandoned and unguarded!"

"Not entirely," the princess stated. "The Mushroom Parliament and their army still has control over it. They're keeping it maintained until my father is found, or until I reach the age of inheritance."

"So we won't be alone in this."

"Hopefully not," Toadstool answered Luigi's question. "You two need to get a move on. The fate of the Mushroom Kingdom depends on us!"

"What about you?" Mario asked.

"Toad and I will take care of the village," she said urgently. "Now get going!"

"Let's-a go!" Mario rallied as he and his brother ran from the village in the direction of the castle. Fortunately, there were a few ? Blocks to their left.

"Better stock up," Mario advised.

"Good idea," agreed Luigi.

The plumbers began hitting several blocks, and were delighted to find a pair of Hammer Suits in two of them. They slipped them on and walked around to make sure they fit.

"I think my shell's a lttle loose..." realized Luigi.

"Don't worry; you'll get used to it," said Mario. "Now let's go stop the invasion!"

"All right!" agreed Luigi as the two of them set off for the castle.

Fortunately, the castle was not far from the village, and, even though the castle was visible from the village, the invasion force wasn't. Another minute or two of running later the plumbers finally saw the invasion force, with the four Koopalings leading the way.

Only they weren't making any forward progress.

They appeared to be stalled a few hundred yards from the castle. They were engaged in battle with the Mushroom Parliament forces. The plumbers watched as spears and hammers flew every which way.

"Looks like the party has already started," Luigi noted.

"Forget the RSVP!" Mario exclaimed as he took Luigi's hand and ran toward the heat of the battle. "We have a kingdom to save!"

All Mario could see as he ran were the hundreds upon hundreds of individuals fighting in the distance. There were surely too many heads to count. He couldn't even spot the commanders.

"Who could be leading Koopa's forces?" Mario audibly wondered.

Luigi tapped his chin. "Probably either the Kooplings or the Koopa Pack," he answered. "Most likely the Koopalings. The Koopa Pack tend to work together alone."

They were almost there. Mario knew they had to hurry, even though they were running at top speed. If this were a video game, their P-Meter would be bursting at the seams. Unfortunately, more Toad soldiers were falling than Koopas, which was all the more reason they needed to join the fight now. Readjusting his shell, Mario braced himself for the coming brawl.

* * *

The princess knew the village would not evacuate itself.

There were still dozens of villagers to evacuate, but at least the job was halfway done. The princess yawned, then saw the defects approaching her, having just sent another villager on his way.

"Now that we have a little time to talk," Silas started, even though they really didn't, "what exactly was it you saw back at the castle? Just what _is_ Project Koopa?"

Toadstool thought for a moment. "Well... it was a massive object underneath a tarp. It had to be a thousand feet long. It appears to be a mega weapon of some sort. Carrie says it might be called the Doomship."

Silas' and Marcis' eyes widened.

"If those rumors are true," Silas finally said, "then we are going to be in very big trouble."

"The name..." Marcus perceived that the name was awesome and terrifying at the same time. "It sounds like..." He trailed off.

Carrie looked up from the suitcase she was helping to pack. "But we don't know what the Doomship really is."

Marcus hought for a moment. "Well, judging by the name alone, it sounds like a giant ship."

"But the castle and village are about a mile inland!" stated Silas.

"True, but that won't stop a massive army from just marching frim ship to shore," replied Marcus.

"Even at a thousand feet, a ship can only hold so many troops," Silas said.

A light bulb went off in Carrie's head. "If this ship floats on water, why build it within the confines of the castle?"

"Maybe it's doesn't float on water," speculated Silas. "Maybe it's an _airship_."

"Whatever it is," Toadstool said as she considered this possibility, "we need to be prepared whatever Koopa throws our way."

* * *

One hammer took out a few Goombas.

Another crushed the helmet of a Hammer Bro.

The Mario Brothers were unstoppable as they hurled hammers every which way, taking out minions left and right. However,, it seemed that every mkinion they defeated was replaced by a new arrival."

Just then Mario caught sight of Larry Koopa in the distance. "You're right," he said. "The Koopalings _are_ leading this force."

"I think they're coming, Mario," warned his brother as they eyed the reptilian commanders pushing their way through the somewhat disorganized ranks.

"Let's see what they want," said Mario.

At last the Koopalings made it to the plumbers.

"Fancy meeting you here, boys," Wendy said.

"Of cource, we knew you'd come. Of course, you couldn't resist, because that building over there belongs to the princess, who happens to-"

He stopped when the other Koopalings glared at him.

"Hey, where are the other three? I thought this was going to be a full-tem effort."

"Oh, it _is_ ," Wendy answered Mario. "But the others are back at the castle building your worst nightmare."

"We know," responded Luigi, which triggered rage within the only female Koopaling.

"What?!" she shrieked, spewing malice so thick Mario could have mistaken it for marinara sauce. "Who told you that?!"

As Mario jerked his thumb back toward the village, Morton joined in. "Yeah! Who told you that we're gonna crush this kingdom with a weapon so big you could see it from-"

"Zip it, Morton!" ordered Larry.

"Enough of this! Get them!" ordered Wendy. The throngs began to press in toward the Mario Brothers, who resumed their fighting.

"So the princess told you," Wendy surmised. "Well, she's in for a surprise when the second wave arrives!"

"I bet you can't b in two places at once!" teased Lemmy.

"Uh, _hello?_ Aren't you forgetting there are _two_ of us?" retorted Luigi.

"The princess can handle herswlf," said Mario. As much as he wanted to see Wendy's priceless reaction if he told her about the defects, he decided not to.

"Really? Well, we'll just see about that!"

* * *

The Project Koopa room has never been busier than it was now. It was abuzz with activity as the other three Koopalings, the Koopa Pack, and even King Koopa himself watched as several minions were removing the tarp from the project. Underneath was an airship of massive proportions.

"Hoo yeah! Look at the size of that thing!" exclaimed Iggy.

"Yeah, isn't it the best?" added Koopa. "It's the first one the Koopa Kingdom has ever seen. A pity my father never thought of this."

Deciding not to question about Koopa's father, Roy asked, "Just how powerful is this Doomship?"

"More powerful than anyone in the Mushroom Kingdom will ever know. Adjustable rocket engines, Rocky Wrench ports, countless dozens of cannons - this will get the job done faster than you can say Koopa's Believe it Or Else!"

As several other minions were entering the airship to initiate flight-checking procedures, Ludwig followed them. He had said earlier that he had wanted to add a special potion to the engine to boost its speed.

Rubbing his hands together with villainous glee, Koopa snickered. "Mario is going down by the time the sun goes up. This will be his closing curtain."

* * *

It was now four in the morning. Stifling a yawn, Toadstool turned to her trusted aide. "Toad, let's take a break. I think we deserved it."

"You said it, Princess!"

"Silas, you and the others keep working. We'll just be taking a fifteen-minute break."

"Okay," responded the Shy Guy.

The princess and Toad headed to a nearby bench and sat down. They had been working steadily for hours, and the town was mostly evacuated.

"I hope Mario's doing all right," she said.

"We know him. He'll send that army packing faster than you can say-"

"Linguini?" she guessed.

"I would have said "ravioli"... but linguini works well too."

Just then the princess became aware of a figure nearby. She looked up, and saw that it was the old man she saw from earlier!

"Princess Toadstool," he spoke. "May I speak with you in private?"

 _Next time: The second wave!_

* * *

 **A/N:** The Doomship is almost ready for launch... Also, originally, the Koopalings were originally going to have their old names in this story. Don't worry; the name change will be explained in a later chapter.

R.I.P. Stefan Karl Stefansson. You will always be number one.

* * *

"Hey, paisanos," said Mario, "it's time for **Ask the Mario Characters!** Where you, the readers, get to send us questions, and we'll answer them! Dares will return Issue 26!"

"I _dare_ you not to ask us weird questions!" Koopa joked.

"It's not me; it's the readers," Mario said. " **breath20k** asks a question to Mallet today: **If you could make one wish, what will it be?** "

"That is a most intriguing question," Mallet mused. "What _is_ my wish?"

"Wish for more wishes!" whispered Koopa.

"Koopa," scolded Toadstool.

"Well," he thought. "If I had one wish, it would be to visit the cosmos and see Rosalina."

Suddenly he was teleported out of the room.

"W-what happened?" McKoopa exclaimed.

"I think his wish just came true," Luigi pondered.

At the Comet Observatory, Rosalina was reading her storybook to the Lumas for the 182nd time when Mallet suddenly appeared in the room.

"Wh-who are you?" Rosalina was not usually one to lose her cool, but she did.

"My wish just came true," he said. "Hi, Rosie."

Back at the Q&D room, Mario was concluding his session.

"I think the Boos teleported Mallet out of here," Lemmy said.

"Nonsense," Larry stated. "It had to be the work of the X-Nauts!"

"Well, whatever it is," Mario speculated, "It's probably the Broodals. Or the Shroobs. Or even Smithy's gang. Oh well. Until next time, everybody, do the Mario!"


	27. SMB Issue 24 (Oct 1991)

**A/N:** Another reminder for you all: I am putting this story on hiatus after the next issue so I can work on the backlog. Until the backlog, enjoy my other stories such as Logical Mario, Team Sonic's Education and Learning, The Mossflower Education, and a new megastory I am working on!

Also, I've been on for a year now. Well... More like thirteen months. Where is the time going?!

As my profile is now a year old, I now have nearly 400 profile views! Thank you to everyone who checked it out!

* * *

 _ **animegamefanatic**_

 _the elder either has to be her dad or the prime minister/toadsworth; that's my guess._

 **You'll find out who he is in the next issue!**

 _ **breath20k**_

A great way to keep the invasion going! Let's go for wave two!

 **Let's also see just how successful it is... Koopa might actually win this time.**

 _ **MegaBN2**_

 _How many issue is the Paper Mario 64 arc_

 **I don't have any plans for an arc based on the Paper Mario storyline, but I will definitely use characters from the game, especially Kammy.** **If you want to know how long it's going to be until I'll use Paper Mario characters, that will be 112 issues away, in Issue 136. This is the minimum; I may actually first use them after Issue 150.**

 _ **A new fan**_

 _Will we be seeing a super paper Mario arc? If so, when?_

 **I do have plans for a Super Paper Mario adaptation and extension. The first available Issue I can do it is Issue 210, which is 186 issues away. Don't worry; I'll have plenty of exciting stories to tide you over until then!**

 _ **yeet**_

 _I assume this takes place in an alternate universe where Penders is obssessed eith hallucinogenic mushrooms rather than echidnas._

 **LOL, aka Penders' pepperoni dreams? WARNING: I may actually have a couple of things Penders might have, but I'm thinking of channeling his echidna obsession into the Kongs or Yoshis rather than the Toads. (I can see it much better with Kongs, anyway.)**

* * *

 _I do not own anything in this fanfic except for any original content that I come up with. Mario belongs to Nintendo, which does not endorse or affiliate itself with this fanfic. Constructive criticism is allowed, but please, no flames._

And now, on to the comic!

* * *

 **The Invasion, Part 3: The Koopa Conquest**

* * *

"Princess Toadstool, may I speak with you in private?"

The princess was, to say the least, surprised to see the familiar elderly Toad again. She had not expected him to appear, especially not during the biggest crisis Mushroom Land has ever faced in a long time.

"Y-yes," she struggled to keep her composure. "But I only have a few minutes."

Toadstool followed the Toad behind building, and he pulled out a bag.

"Princess, I greatly admire your courage and bravery in this dire situation," he spoke with a strange familiarity, "the likes of which the kingdom rarely sees. I have something for you and your friends."

He handed the bag to her. It was a large bag, and whatever was inside felt like clothing. The princess guessed it was a power-granting suit of some sort.

"What is this?" Toadstool wondered.

"Tanooki Suits. Four of them, to be exact," the Toad said. "When you are in dire peril, use these. Take care, princess."

"Thank you, sir!" she thanked. "But-"

She was interrupted by the defects' sudden arrival. It seemed that learning this person's name was going to have to wait.

"Bad news!" Marcus shouted. "They're sending another wave! And this time they're coming for us!"

"This village has underground shelters, right?" the princess asked.

"Will there be enough time to get the villagers inside them?" Silas wondered.

"I hope so."

One quick glance backward showed her that the mysterious elderly Toad was gone.

"I wonder who he was," the princess audibly wondered.

"There's no time for that now, Princess!" Toad interjected. "Sorry to be rude, but they're upon us now!"

Toadstool did not know what to do at first, until she had an idea.

"Is there a vegetable cart nearby?" she asked.

"I think there's one at the charity garden, but it's too far away!" Toad answered.

"Carrie, Toad, go get the cart. We'll see if we can take on these new forces."

"Alone?!" Toad was incredulous.

"Don't worry, Toad; I'll be fine," she said.

"If you say so, Princess," Toad relented. "Come on, Carrie. We need to get those veggies!"

* * *

One hammer forced Mario to sidestep.

Another struck his helmet, which made him lose his Hammer Suit.

Mario rubbed his sore head as his suit vanished into nothingness. Good thing he was wearing his helmet; otherwise the hammer would have been fatal.

"Mario! Are you okay?" Luigi saw the impact and rushed over to defend Mario.

"Yeah, I'm fine! Just keep fighting them!"

"Two against too thousand is a futile and reckless attempt, you know," taunted Larry.

"It's just you two now," Lemmy added. "As you can see, those Toad soldiers over there are powerless against us!"

Mario saw that Wendy and Morton were creating a magic barrier that kept the Mushroom Parliament soldiers at bay. When they tried to move around it, the Koopalings simply moved the barrier to accommodate the change.

"We have the perfect advantage," Wendy told the plumbers. "You two have absolutely no hope of beating us, and even if you do, Daddy's ship is going to blow you to bits!"

"And also the second wave," Morton added, thankfully not speaking more than he usually does.

Mario turned to Luigi, ducking under another hammer. "Luigi, I need you to keep fighting this army. I'll run ahead to the castle and defend it myself."

"Mario, that's suicide."

"If I die, I'll make sure the entire army goes down with me."

"But-"

"Take care."

With that, Mario leaped clear over the heads of the enemies, stomping on a few Goombas as he landed, and ran toward the castle.

"Looks like I've got no choice but to hold my own here..." Luigi said to himself as he began flinging several hammers at the nearest minions.

He was actually enjoying himself in spite of the tense situation he was in... until a Spiny Egg thrown by a hovering Lakitu struck him. He too lost his suit.

"You may as well surrender, Luigi," Larry said. "It's over for you even before it began."

"Where there's a will..."

Luigi single-handedly took on several nearby Koopas, kicking one's shell into a line of enemies.

"...there's a way!"

Wendy smiled, knowing her forces would still win. "We'll see about that."

* * *

Mario kept running toward the castle, even as three Hammer Bros were starting to gain on him. He looked up and saw a Paratroopa about to dive-bomb him. He leaped into the air, stomped on the Paratroopa, grabbed its shell, and spun around as if he was going to throw an Olympic javelin, before releasing the shell into the Hammer Bros. They fell to the ground, defeated, as Mario landed in front of them.

"And that's why you never mess with the Super Mario Bros," Mario said, dusting his gloves.

"Oh, those are just three of our over one thousand soldiers," returned Lemmy, who was at the front of the army. "You'll never win, really."

"Never say never, Koopalings," Mario returned. "I know we can win this."

* * *

"Come on! Head to the shelters! There isn't much more time!"

Toadstool, Marcus, and Silas were ushering the villagers into the underground shelters. The shelters had been there since then village was built, and King Toadstool had asked for them to be installed. Even before Koopa, there was still danger of invasion.

Just then Marcus looked up. If he had hands, he would have pointed. "They're entering the village!"

"Let's hope Toad and Carrie found the cart," Toadstool hoped.

Sure enough, the invasion force was entering the village. It was led by several elite Hammer Bros, and the wave consisted of Shy Guys, Bob-ombs, Koopas, Spikes, and Goombas. One of the Hammer Bros was Mallet himself.

"Looks like we have a score to settle, double agent!" initiated Silas.

"You really don't," Mallet stated. "No amount of knowledge of Koopa's secret project will save you from the great invasion.

"Koopa has strategized well," Toadstool noted.

"So you've noticed. The first wave was to get those plumbers out of the way so that this village would be ripe for the picking."

"Speaking of ripe..." Toadstool noticed Toad and Carrie returning with the vegetable cart, "you should know better than to pick fights with the princess."

"I'm not picking a fight," Mallet announced. "I'm carrying out a mission for your future king."

"My future king..." Toadstool did not give in to anger easily, but this time she made an exception. "I already have a king! He's my father! I know he's alive, and-"

"He's dead and you know it," Mallet returned. "Koopa's forces confirmed this. You have been deluded."

Toadstool would have said more, but chose to hold back her temper. "Everyone, get your vegetables ready."

Toad, Silas, Marcus, and Carrie climbed on top of the cart and prepared to throw them.

"Now!"

The princess' friends let the veggies fly toward the invasion force. Several minions were hit, but Mallet anticipated this.

"Outta my way," he demanded as he pushed his way past the ranks on his way to the back.

But he saw something nearby, and decided to head back.

"Make up your mind already!" demanded a Shy Guy soldier.

"Oh, it's made up all right."

As he and the minions surrounded the cart, he smiled.

"What are you smiling at?!" demanded Toad.

"It's coming."

"W-What's coming- Oh." realized Carrie.

The princess looked down. There were minions everywhere. There was absolutely no escape. She was trapped on top of the vegetable cart with her friends, and no place to go.

Then a whirring sound met her ears.

"W-What's that?" Toad was worried. "Is that..."

"It's him," Marcus confirmed.

Sure enough, a massive shape was starting to blot out the early morning sun. Now, for the first time, the princess and her kingdom could see the Doomship in all its evil glory.

Even Mario and Luigi saw it.

"Is that... Project Koopa?" Luigi asked.

"Yes," confirmed Larry. "You will never get to it, let alone destroy it. Especially not in your current situation."

Back with the princess, she was left speechless at the awe of the giant ship. Then Koopa began speaking through a loudspeaker that reverberated throughout the entire kingdom.

"People of the Mushroom Kingdom," he spoke. "I am King Bowser Koopa of the Koopa Kingdom. If you do not surrender to me immediately, and allow our two kingdoms to be merged under my rule, your precious Mushroom Kingdom will be destroyed at the hands of me and my Doomship! King Bowser Koopa has spoken!"

 _Next time: Showdown with Koopa!_

* * *

 **A/N:** I've been waiting for this moment for a long time. I can;t believe that next issue is the conclusion to this epic arc.

Line

"Hey, paisanos," said Mario, "it's time for **Ask the Mario Characters!** Where you, the readers, get to send us questions, and we'll answer them! Sounds easy enough, right?"

"Riiiiight..." Mouser droned. "As easy as dividing by zero."

"Why is that?" hissed Triclyde.

"Because zey usually have dares hidden inside ze questions," answered Mouser.

"Not this time," Koopa said. "We're off the hook, remember?"

"Oh, yeah..."

"All right," Mario spoke, "Is everyone ready for questions?"

"Yeah!" the room spoke.

"Uh, author?" Mario asked me. "Did you mean to say 'the _room_ spoke' or 'the people _in_ the room spoke'?"

 _Well, when you put it that way, I guess I meant the latter._

"Wait a minute," Koopa piped up. "The author can speak to us?!"

 _Yeah. I won't overdo it, though. Let's get back to the questions._

"Right, then. **breath20k** has three questions for us, and the first is for everyone: **If you could buy one burger from Burger Shroom, what could it be and why?** "

"Oh, definitely the Bowser Beef & Bacon Bonus Burger!" spoke Koopa.

"But you're not known as Koopa yet," Luigi shot him down.

"Then how about the Koopa Klan's Krusty Krab Burger?"

"Sigh... One, it's Koopa Clan with a C. Two, we don't need SpongeBob references in this story."

The others give their answers, including McKoopa. Something about a Sponge Cake and Ice Cream Burger 3 & Knuckles. Don't ask. :P

"O-kay..." Mario was slightly amused by McKoopa's response.

"I guess you could call that a "Knuckles" sandwich," joked Lemmy.

"Please. That's not funny anymore," Wendy rolled her eyes. "That's really cliche. Unlike Ugandan Knuckles, though."

"Do u know da wae?" Morton piped up.

"Yes!" exclaimed Koopa. "'Da wae' is to defeat Mario once and for all!"

"Please, guys, enough with the dead memes," Mario tried to calm the audience down. "Ugandan Knuckles is totally not dead," he added to himself. Picking up the letter again, he read the next question: "To King Koopa: **Have you ever done a great job making an invasion?** "

"I've done raids in the past, many of which were successful, but this is the first time I've launched a full-scale invasion of Toadstool's precious kingdom."

"But aren't raids like miniature invasions?" Ludwig asked.

"When you put it that way, yes..." Koopa responded.

"Do you cosplay anymore?" Luigi asked.

"What?! Cosplay?! No way! That's in the past! I was foolish back then. Seeing Ostros does not make me want to dress like a pharaoh or whatever.

"...Ostriches don't live in Egypt in the Real World," Toad said.

"That's besides the point. Next question!"

"To the Koopalings: **What is the secret of shooting a basketball?** "

"Well," Ludwig thought, "you need to know where the opposing team members are before you shoot..."

"...You also need to have good aim," Wendy added.

"And don't forget the special shots!" Roy said.

"Do you _really_ think people like to see Waluigi swimming in the air?" Iggy facepalmed.

"At least that didn't return in Mario Sports Mix," Lemmy said.

"On that note, let's wrap this up and-"

"Wahaha!" came the voice of a tall, lanky, purple-clad plumber who bustled through the door. "Does anyone here want some fresh, spicy tacos?"

 _Stop spreading your memes to my fanfiction, Waluigi._

"Who, uh... Who said that?"

 _The author. FYI I don't have a fart fetish unlike Yoshizilla-Rhedosaurus, so you're safe with me._

"Oh, that's a relief."

A random piano fell on Waluigi's taco stand.

"Waaaah! I spent three seconds building that thing!"

"Until next time, everybody..." Mario started, before being chased by a flock of seagulls who were after Waluigi's tacos.

"...TOO BAD, WALUIGI TIME!" shouted Waluigi as he swatted the seagulls away with his tennis racket.

 _P.S. You can proably tell I've been reading Waluigi's Taco Stand. I've almost finished reading through the whole thing._

"Boycott tight jeans!" Waluigi jumped in before the transmission ended.


	28. SMB Issue 25 (Nov 1991)

**A/N:** All right, here is the last issue before the hiatus! How is this one going to end in just one issue?!

I won't really say anything until the end; let's just cut to the chase! After the reviews, that is.

* * *

 _ **breath20k**_

 _The invasion is getting intense! Project Koopa is here!_

 **But the real question is: Will Mario stand a chance? Read on to find out!**

 _ **animegamefanatic**_

 _oh crap! it just got real! If this was an archie comic I could see the fear in their eyes O_O_

 **If only it were an Archie (or IDW) comic... That's why we have this story. I believe this is one of the best chapters yet!**

 _ **Sylas**_

 _There's a Mario webcomic you should read called Super Mario Bros in Neo Bowser City. It was never finished, but it reminds me of some of the Sonic Archie comics. I could imagine it as a story arc._

 **I've just checked it out. It's too bad it no longer updates, but it does provide for some nice idea material.**

 _ **A.S**_

 _Will Super Mario Maker get an arc?_

 **Not an arc in the traditional sence, but it will get its own one-shot "promotional" issue, similar to the Team Sonic Racing comic coming later this month.**

 _ **Abman**_

 _Did you know that Mario didn't get his italian accent until Mario's Game Gallery is 1995?_

 **That's true. However, I won't be using Mario's Italian accent in this story - it tends to dumb him down, if you know what I mean. It's fine for comedy, though, like Lemmy's Land IMO.**

* * *

 _I do not own anything in this fanfic except for any original content that I come up with. Mario belongs to Nintendo, which does not endorse or affiliate itself with this fanfic. Constructive criticism is allowed, but please, no flames._

And now, on to the comic!

* * *

 **The Invasion, Part 4: Showdown**

* * *

King Koopa's threat certainly did not fall on deaf ears. He made it perfectly clear what his goal was, and he was intent on carrying it out.

Mario took down enemies left and right as he ran to rejoin Luigi. This was seriously bad news. He had no idea what this Doomship was capable of, but he didn't want to find out.

"After him!" Wendy shouted. She wasn't worried about the castle; after all, her force was only a diversion from the real threat: the giant airship that was clearly visible even from the castle.

It took several minutes, but Mario finally made it to Luigi. "We need to go now!" he ordered.

"Go where?" Luigi was confused.

"Back to the village! I'm sure Princess Toadstool needs us right now!"

"But what about this invasion force?" questioned Luigi.

"It's only a diversion," Mario responded quickly. "Besides, look!"

Luigi turned to see a fresh batch of Mushroom Military soldiers arriving to take on the invasion force. The Koopalings were outnumbered.

"Hopefully we can win this," Luigi said. He was definitely relieved that backup had arrived.

"Let's-a go!" Mario cried as the two plumbers sped toward the village.

* * *

Minutes later, the two heroic plumbers entered the village, and just in time, too. The Doomship's cannons were just beginning to fire down upon the village, and Paratroopas were swarming in droves from the deck to the ground.

It didn't take long for Mario to spot Toadstool, who directed him to hide with her behind one of the houses.

"Are you all right, Princess?" Mario asked.

"I'm fine, but I'm concerned about the village."

"Yeah. Why aren't they destroying the buildings?" Mario mused. "Or even coming after you?"

"That's why I'm trying to figure out," she said.

"Princess, why don't we evacuate and let the bros. take care of things?" suggested Toad.

The princess looked determined. "I can't," she stated. "I won't leave the people I've loved all my life."

"I love your resilience, Princess," complimented Mario.

Just then Luigi, who had been looking for signs of any approaching minions, turned back to the others. "Princess, Mallet's looking for you."

Just then the Hammer Bro's voice came through loud and clear: "Princess Toadstool, an audience is requested by His Mightiness King Bowser Koopa, king-elect of the soon-to-be-renamed Mushroom Kingdom!"

"They _are_ looking for me," realized Toadstool. She suddenly remembered the bag the mysterious stranger gave her. She ran over to another spot behind the house and quickly recovered the bag. She quickly opened it and handed its contents to the others.

"Tanooki Suits!" Mario exclaimed as he began to put his on. "Thanks!"

"Now we'll be a least a match for Koopa's cronies!" Toad stated.

"You know what this means?" Luigi said. "We can get up to the Doomship now."

"You two will be going," corrected Toadstool.

Luigi was caught off guard. "What about you?"

"Toad and I will deal with Mallet," she said while they donned their suits. "I've got a score to settle with him. You two will fly up to the Doomship and engage Koopa. Don't forget your statue abilities."

"Oh yeah!" Luigi remembered. "How do I use it again?"

"Just think carefully and imagine a stone barrier around yourself, and it will happen. It's time to fly, boys. Good luck."

"You heard her, Luigi. Let's take down Koopa once and for all!"

Mario and Luigi scanned the ground ahead of them. It was nice and flat, ideal for takeoffs. Mario and Luigi then started running as fast as they could. Once they achieved max speed, they leaped into the air and flapped their Tanooki tails to take flight.

Bullet Bills and cannonballs rained down around them. While both were projectiles, Bullet Bills were generally able to be guided to their targets. Thus, they proved to be difficult for Mario and Luigi to dodge. Add those two and wrenches thrown by Rocky Wrenches, and the plumbers had a _real_ challenge.

"Luigi! Watch your right side!" Mario shouted. His brother listened just in time and dodged a wrench that would have hit him otherwise.

"I see a spot we can land!" Luigi pointed to an open spot on the Doomship's deck.

"Good! I don't see anyone around that location, so let's go for it!" agreed Mario.

They swooped down and landed on the deck. Observing their surroundings, they saw that this was well-built given the short time it was under development.

"Now we just need to find Koopa and put an end to this." Mario yawned. Staying up all night was not on his bucket list.

"If I'm right," Luigi pondered, "then Koopa's cabin should be at the back of the ship, near the cockpit."

"What makes you say that?" Mario wondered.

"I've seen those classic pirate ships back on Earth. That seems to be something that 'runs in the family', if you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I get it," Mario responded. "Let's see if you're right about it."

So Mario and Luigi proceed through the ship. There were surprisingly few enemies on the ship, as most of them were on the ground. But there was still the occasional Hammer Bro, Bob-omb, and Rocky Wrench to take out. Of course, they used their statue abilities. Luigi had not worn a Tanooki Suit very often, and nearly lost it to a Hammer Bro's hammer.

Minutes later, the brothers reached the block that contained Koopa's quarters. As expected, the room was heavily guarded. Koopa's unmistakable voice came through: "Koopalings, attack!"

Before they knew what hit them, Ludwig, Roy, and Iggy barged out of the room. Roy immediately grabbed Luigi and ran. Iggy and Ludwig lunged for Mario, but he spun his tail, causing them to be knocked backward into the Hammer Bros that were guarding the door. Mario then ran in the direction he last saw Luigi and Roy.

Mario peeked around the next corner. He caught a glimpse of Roy, but that was all he needed. He ran in that direction, and saw Roy approaching the edge of the deck, ready to dump Luigi overboard!

Fortunately, Roy did not know Mario was coming. So Mario charged directly for Roy's back, they grabbed the edges of his shell. Swinging him away from the edge of the ship, he swung his tail at him, sending him a dozen feet away. He then helped Luigi up.

"You okay, Luigi?"

"I could be worse," Luigi shrugged if off. "Is Koopa still in his cabin?"

"Last I checked," confirmed Mario. "Let's take Koopa down!"

Just then Roy got up and faced the Mario Bros. "You can't take me down _that_ easily!" he roared.

"Save it," Mario called out as he ran. "We're busy here."

Nevertheless, Roy started pursuing them as they headed back within the interior hallways of the ship. After making a few quick maneuvers, they managed to lose Roy. They then headed back toward Koopa's cabin, only to find it heavily guarded.

"We're going to need a diversion," Mario pondered.

"And I think I know just the one," Luigi pointed to a Bob-omb at the back of a group of minions that was passing by.

"Hmm..." Mario considered. "That could be risky, especially considering the bigger picture," he thought cautiously.

"Is it worth it?" asked Luigi.

Mario nodded. "Go for it."

Taking a deep breath, Luigi ran toward the Bob-omb and picked it up. Sensing a hostile target listing it, the Bob-omb automatically lit its fuse. However, one of the Goombas in the platoon turned around and saw him. "Hey! The green one is right here!"

At the minion's warning, the other troops in the platoon turned around, only to have Luigi's Bob-omb hurled in their face. The resounding explosion took out about half of the entire platoon, and the noise resounded across the entire section of the ship.

"Good job!" Mario congratulated. "Now we can take down Koopa without any distractions!"

"I hope so..." Luigi said as he followed Mario back to Koopa's cabin.

Fortunately, the diversion worked, as the Hammer Bros guarding the door had left. Using the combined power of their tails, they broke the door down and stormed inside the cabin. There was Koopa, desperately searching in a cabinet for something.

"Surrender, Koopa!" Mario demanded.

"Just a moment, Mario," Koopa mumbled as he tossed object after object from one of the drawers. "Found it!" He pulled out a Magic Potion.

"And where do you think you're going with that?" demanded Mario.

Koopa smirked. "Why do you think I should tell you?" he retorted. "Besides, I'm surprised you even made it this far without even so much as captivity."

"Don't be," Luigi responded. "We're the Super Mario Brothers, and we're here to take you down!"

"Not if I defeat you first!" roared King Koopa as he grabbed a plumber snake hanging on the wall. He swung it at Mario, attempting to trip him, but he leaped out of the way.

"It's two against one, Koopa," Mario announced.

"Remember it's _my_ turf you're fighting on," Koopa answered. "We'll play by _my_ rules. And I say goodbye forever, plumbers!"

He lashed out at Luigi with his plumber snake, but the plumber leaped out of the way. Unfortunately, he was still a little too close to Koopa, who grabbed him by the left arm and threw him toward the doorway. Mario leaped in the way to catch his brother, but Luigi crashed into him, sending them both crashing onto the floor in the doorway.

"And you call yourselves 'super'," Koopa scoffed, crossing his arms. Then he began bragging about his conquest. "Let me tell you what's super about my conquest! There will be no more incompetency! No more cosplay! No more chasing you around the kingdom! The days of pillaging villages are behind me! The days of an extended Koopa Kingdom are ahead of me! The princess will-"

But he was tackled from behind by Mario, who was careful to avoid touching the Koopa king's spiked shell.

"What are you doing, Mario?!" roared Koopa as he tried vainly to pry Mario off of him.

"Giving you your just desserts," Mario answered nonchalantly. He extended his hands. "Plumber snake."

Luigi picked up Koopa's fallen plumber snake and handed it to Mario, who promptly used it to tie Koopa's hands together.

"Stand up," ordered Mario. Koopa, knowing better than to argue with his arch-nemesis, obeyed.

"You will pay for this..." muttered Koopa.

"Maybe, maybe not," shrugged Mario. "Now, take us to the cockpit."

"And just what are you going to with my ship?" Koopa asked.

"We're going to make you retreat."

"What?!" Koopa was shocked. "But... it's a dishonor!"

"Really now?" Luigi was skeptical. "You've retreated dozens of times in the past. Why should now be any different?"

"This is my first invasion on this scale, and you're not about to ruin it. Koopalings!" he called.

"Move!" demanded Mario as they hustled Koopa toward the cockpit.

Fortunately the cockpit wasn't far from Koopa's cabin, and they arrived there within minutes. Once inside, Mario locked the door, and just in time too, for they saw Iggy, Roy, and Ludwig in the distance heading their way.

With sweating claws, Koopa reached for the intercom and picked up the intercom microphone. He glanced back, and saw the two plumbers standing there, arms folded, glares impassive.

Just then the Koopalings started to bang on the door from the outside. Koopa smirked. "All I have to do is wait."

Mario took a Fire Flower out of his pocket and activated it. A fireball materialized in the palm of his hand. "I don't normally resort to violence, but we don't have all day. In the name of the princess, the king, and the Mushroom Kingdom, I order you to issue a retreat to your forces!"

"You think you're all high and mighty now," Koopa retorted, "but fine. Have it your way."

Koopa finally pressed the button to communicate to his minions. "All troops retreat to Castle Koopa! This is a mandatory order. Retreat! Retreat!"

All across Mushroom Land, the minions heeded the command and began to march back the way they came. They were confused by the command, some even angry, but they obeyed nevertheless.

Then there came a splintering crash as the Koopalings broke the door down and stormed inside.

"Get away from our King Dad, plumbers!" shouted Iggy.

"I'm afraid you're a little late to the party," Mario stated. "Koopa is already retreating."

"What?" roared Roy.

"But... your honor!" Iggy sputtered.

"Is this not shameful?" questioned Ludwig.

"Yes and no," Koopa quietly said. "This was my first invasion... but I have a word of advice."

He finally turned to the others. "He who koops and runs away..."

Ludwig drew a Magic Potion from his shell, the same one Koopa had dropped.

"Until we meet again, Mario," he whispered.

"...lives to koop another day!"

Ludwig threw the Magic Potion on the ground, opening a hole directly underneath Mario and Luigi. They fell through the ship and out of the sky. Mario realized he did not have his Tanooki Suit on, even though Luigi did. Luigi swooped down and caught Mario, and they gently floated to the ground outside the village.

"Wow," Luigi was amazed at what happened on the Doomship. "You really intimidated him this time."

Mario smiled. "He should know to never underestimate a pair of royal plumbers."

"Shall we go see the princess?" asked Luigi.

"Yes."

So Mario led the way back to the village. Upon entering, they were not surprised to see veggies thrown everywhere. Princess Toadstool and Toad spotted them and ran over.

"Did you do it? Did you send him home?" Toad eagerly asked.

"We sure did!" beamed Mario.

"I don't think we did too badly ourselves," Toadstool added. "Mallet and his forces didn't stand a chance against us and our vegetables!"

Just then they heard someone clear his throat from nearby. Everyone turned to see the elderly Toad standing there. Now the princess could ask questions.

"You came back," she started.

"In reality, I never left," he gently corrected. "May I congratulate you on your valiant efforts this night."

Toadstool knew there could only be one person who spoke the way this Toad did. "You... you sound like my father," she stuttered.

"My daughter..." he spoke gently as he removed his false beard and cap. He was indeed King Philip Toadstool in all his regal beauty and glory.

Words could not describe the tears of joy and relief she had. "Father..." was all she could make out as she ran to her father and embraced him in a hug. Mario, Luigi, and Toad were stunned speechless by this turn of events.

When they finally found their voices, Toad spoke first. "I can't believe he was right here under our noses this whole time."

Mario and Luigi could only nod. They wanted to relish this moment.

"I thought you died..." Toadstool finally whispered.

"I thought the same of you," the king responded. "After the war, you had seemingly vanished. There was no sign of you for months."

"But how did you know I was missing?"

"I was able to secretly speak with the locals while wearing this disguise."

"But how were you able to stay hidden in plain sight for so long, even with a disguise?"

"It was mostly up to luck, I'm afraid."

"Sorry for all the questions, Father..."

"Oh, that's quite all right. I owe you an explanation. Here, why don't we all come inside my house here?"

* * *

In minutes, Mario and friends were seated in the king's temporary house.

"During the war with Koopa," he began, "we were stretched to our absolute limits, as you may remember, Princess. We needed to know Koopa's next moves, and we had no available retainers to infiltrate Koopa's army. So I took it upon myself to perform this task.

"I had the royal tailors sew me a costume of a standard Koopa Troopa. After putting it on, I sneaked out of the castle. Now you may be wondering why I didn't tell you beforehand. This was because I did not want to worry you, and I also believed I would return before long. Such was not the case.

"I did manage to sneak into a regiment of Koopas that was returning from a scouting mission. After a few hours of infiltrating, I eventually learned that Koopa planned to kidnap me, leaving everyone else more vulnerable to attack. Unfortunately, it wasn't long until Koopa discovered my costume. I knew I had to flee.

"As expected, Koopa's army chased me. While they were faster than I was, I outsmarted them. I knew the land much better that they did. You know the cliff about a mile behind the castle, Princess? I made it to that point, and hid in such a way that it gave Koopa's chase party the illusion that I fell off the cliff.

"I stayed away from the castle until the war was over. In the two weeks until then, I lived on the natural foods of the forest and slept out in the open. It wasn't until about a month later did I dare to return to the village. I disguised myself in the costume you saw me in, and purchased the house we are in now. I could easily have returned to the throne, but I didn't because I was afraid. My daughter was being relentlessly pursued by Koopa, our resources had been exhausted, and there was no hope in sight."

King Philip turned to the Mario Brothers. "Until you two came along. You will need to tell me how you got here, but however you did it, thank the stars you did. You really are the heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom."

* * *

And it came to pass, that King Philip Toadstool returned to his rightful place on the throne amidst much cheering and rejoicing from the people. Mushroom Land was officially renamed the Mushroom Kingdom as a result. Additionally, Toad was made the head retainer of the castle.

For now, peace has been restored to the kingdom.

That night, Mario and Luigi were standing on the balcony with the king and princess, watching the moonlit village.

"It's not over, is it?" Mario said.

"Far from," the king answered. "In fact, the second war with Koopa has only just begun..."

* * *

 **A/N:** And they lived happily ever after.

Wait, that not where the story ends!

Anyway, that concludes the Invasion arc, as well as the first twenty-five issues of Super Mario Bros: The Novelized Comic! I hope you enjoyed reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them, and I hope to see you in a few months when my hiatus ends! If you remember Issue 22 (Chapter 25), you will see that the reason the hiatus will happen is because I am going to expand my backlog to hopefully prevent further delay. Until then, check out Logical Mario and my upcoming story which should be out in a month! Until next time, everybody, do the Mario!

Fun Fact: This is only my third SMB:TNC chapter to exceed 4,000 words, the first two being Issues 6 and 17!

* * *

"Hey, paisanos," said Mario, "it's time for **Ask the Mario Characters!** Where you, the readers, get to send us questions, and we'll answer them! In this last issue before the hiatus, we're gonna celebrate our ultimate victory over Koopa!"

"Hooray!" everyone but Koopa shouted.

"I'm right here, you know," Koopa grumbled.

"I know," Toad smugly said.

"You won't win next time, assuming there is one," Toadstool said.

"Stop flaunting your temporary win over me and get to the questions!" shouted an exasperated Koopa.

"Okay," Mario shrugged. "All the questions are from **breath20k**. First one is for the Koopalings: **What's your favorite sport and why?** "

"Does 'Catch the Mario' count?" Morton suggested, only to get glares from Wendy and Larry. "What?"

"I personally like kart racing," Lemmy said.

"It goes without saying that Wendy enjoys figure skating," Ludwig added. "Mine is hockey."

"Mine is soccer," Larry said. "Knowing Morton's just gonna blab on and on, he favorite sport is basketball."

"Boxing, obviously," Roy added. "Have you not seen Roy's Sports Hall?"

"Thank goodness _that_ _'s_ over," Larry sighed with relief. "I didn't know how many more electric chair treatments I could take."

"I really dig tennis," Iggy finished.

"Interesting," Mario said. "Very good choices. Next-"

"Wait, you're the Captain in Roy's Sports Hall, right?" Roy jumped back to the previous subject.

"A plumber never reveals his secrets," he said instead. "Next question is for Mallet: **Have you ever been to Burger Shroom to order some burgers?** "

"Uh... not yet," came Mallet's answer. "I've been very busy with the invasion and all, so I didn't have enough time to."

"Tell you what," Mouser spoke. "I'll take you there after the Q&A's done. Just you and the Koopa Pack."

"I can't wait," he said.

"Looks like there's only one more question," Mario said as he picked up the envelope.

Everyone waited expectantly for him to ask it.

"The question is for me and Toad."

And then...

The moment came.

Oops.

I'm too early.

 _Now_ it came.

" **What's your favorite color and why do you like it?** Toad, I'll let you go first."

"Mine's blue," he answered. "I like it because it's a nice royal color."

"Not as royal as red and black!" Koopa piped up.

"Mine's red for obvious reasons," Mario answered.

"And they are...?" the crowd leaned in to hear these "obvious" reasons.

"It's heroic! I feel super when wearing red."

"That's me with green," Luigi added.

Just then, King Philip Toadstool entered the room.

"You!" Koopa roared. "Your story ended already! You can't just barge into this section now!"

"I'm the king," he spoke.

"That reminds me," Mario addressed the readers. " **You can now send questions and dares to King Philip!** "

"Here are his credentials," a random Shy Guy stated while giving a clipboard to Koopa.

"Hmm... The King loves Royal Shroom Burgers, his favorite color is purple, his favorite sport is baseball..."

"Stop!" the king shouted. "The more you read, the fewer questions breath20k will have to ask me!"

"That's the point!" Koopa beamed.

"On that note," Mario said, trying to tune out Koopa, "we'll conclude this section. I hope you enjoyed reading these issues, and, without further ado, let the (hopefully temporary) hiatus begin! Until next time, everybody, do the Mario!"

"Our author already said that!" McKoopa realized as he, Mouser, Triclyde, and Mallet were leaving en route to Burger Shroom.


	29. SMB Issue 26 (Dec 1991)

**A/N:** Surprise, my readers! I'm not completely off hiatus yet, but I thought I'd give you something to tide over over. I've been so into my new story, Chaos on Earth, that this has become one of my back burner stories. This story may not update as much as before, but believe me, I'm not giving up on it. In fact, I have big plans for it.

As for my backlog, I've got story ideas as far as Issue 37, with complete backlog plots (they make storywriting a whole lot easier) as far as Issue 33. I also have ideas for the second milestone story. If you have an idea that could work for the story, feel free to post it in the reviews. Note: I have to really like the idea in order to accept it. I don't accept lame ideas, such as "i want a mario peach ship story and bowser kidnap the princess", for example. If I think it works for the story, I will accept it and credit you. I don't do requests.

Anyway, on to Issue 26!

* * *

 _ **animegamefanatic**_

 _Oh Mario and Luigi...its definitely FAR from over._

 _You can tell Koopa's sanity/seriousness is growing when he told the bros that he's done with them interfering with his plans, including being done with the cosplay. He really did that a lot._

 _one arc down...and many more adventures to come._

 **FAR from over indeed. I have many adventures planned. In fact, if anyone has a good story idea, I just might implement it!**

 **No more Mr. Nice Koopa! You definitely won't see him anywhere near Ludwig's nice guy potion any time soon... unless it were for a plot. Eh, probably not.**

 **One arc, one milestone issue, and only twenty-five issues complete out of an infinite number of story possibilities! But the question is: Are the famous plumbers ready?**

 _ **breath20k**_

 _I like them all! Can't wait for more and I really enjoyed the showdown! It was awesome!_

 **I'm glad you liked it. There will certainly be more where that came from!**

 _ **Guest**_

 _woo-hoo! Great ending to the arc! I was just wondering though, is there going to be a paper mario: the thousand year door arc_

 **Thanks! And no, I'm not going to have a Thousand-Year Door arc, though I do have plans for a lose adaptation to Super Paper Mario. But I will definitely use character from TTYD, most notably Grodus, Crump, the Shadow Sirens, Doopliss, and Goombella!**

 _ **YumaCrafter**_

 _I HAVE FINALLY CAUGHT UP! I am SO sorry I haven't been around to read this, but IRL issues suddenly popped up out of nowhere. (That, and I suddenly got really into Splatoon and Legend of Zelda.) So, I've been binge reading the past 10 issues (10, not 6 or 7, because I forgot where I was last.) and it gave me a lot of baggage going into this._

 _Anyways, enough of that. This was a really fantastic arc! The characters were great, and I especially really like the king. Here's to future story arcs!_

 _(And now that I'm caught up, I will now be able to send questions/dares. But that'll be for later.)_

 **Thanks! You'll definitely be seeing more of the king in the next few issues, and hopefully the writing is slightly strengthened.**

 **P.S. The king's appearance is virtually identical to his appearances in the Nintendo Comics System comics.**

* * *

 _I do not own anything in this fanfic except for any original content that I come up with. Mario belongs to Nintendo, which does not endorse or affiliate itself with this fanfic. Constructive criticism is allowed, but please, no flames._

And now, on to the comic!

* * *

 **Oh, Daisy!**

* * *

One month had passed since the defeat of Koopa and his army. Since then, the kingdom had enjoyed a time of well-deserved and well-needed peace, with the only disturbances being the occasional bandit or small group of Koopa's minions committing petty crimes. Otherwise, things were quiet and calm throughout the Mushroom Kingdom.

For Mario and Luigi, this time of peace meant boredom, especially for Mario. While Luigi was on edge about when Koopa might return (and he knew he would), Mario missed fighting Koopa and his minions. He missed this opportunity almost as much as having Princess Toadstool and Toad living with them. They had since moved back into Mushroom Castle, where King Philip Toadstool had once again been set up as king of the Mushroom Kingdom. The king had officially appointed Toad as a retainer-in-training, which was a high honor for a Toad as young as he was.

Unfortunately for both Toadstool and Mario, the former and Toad could not adventure with Mario and Luigi because they had various royal tasks to complete, such as oversee Mushroom Parliament meetings. To say the least, Toadstool was a little bored of all the one-note chores royalty had to offer. But no way would she give up being a princess; this would only encourage Koopa to believe the kingdom was his for the taking.

Even after a month, Mario and Luigi were still getting used to the princess and Toad not living with them. Since they left for the castle, the kingdom-famous plumbers had since switched the colors of their garments. Instead of red or green overalls, they wore blue ones. Mario now had on a red shirt under his overalls, and Luigi had a green one. "It makes us feel more super," Mario had said.

Without Koopa around, those in the Mushroom Kingdom relished the peace, although some were on edge, like the king. Fortunately, something exciting happened that would help relieve the edge a little. It came in the form of a letter to Mario and Luigi. Mario walked outside to the mailbox, collected the envelope, and ran back in exclaiming, "It's from the princess!" The brothers had become the official plumbers of the village by this point, and had not seen the princess since the invasion.

"What does it say?" asked Luigi as Mario tore open the envelope and pulled out the letter. Opening it, he began to read:

 _"Dear Mario and Luigi,  
Please meet me at the castle at 1:00 today. __There is someone dear to me I would like you to meet. Her name is Daisy, recently-confirmed princess of Sarasaland.  
Yours truly,  
Princess Toadstool"  
_

"Princess Daisy?" Luigi asked.

"Any friend of the princess' is bound to be a friend of ours," Mario said. He threw a glance at the clock. "12:45. We still have fifteen minutes to get there. Ready, Luigi?"

"Ready!"

"Then let's get going! We don't want to keep our guest waiting. After you, Luigi," Mario beckoned his brother through the door.

* * *

"Welcome, boys," greeted Toadstool. "You're just in time. Meet Princess Daisy of Sarasaland," She introduced the princess, who had curled brown hair and an orange gown.

"How do you do, Princess?" Mario spoke. "My name's Mario, and this is my brother Luigi."

"Hi there!" Daisy greeted. "Oh, by the way, great job on driving Koopa out of your kingdom. With our limited resources, I don't think I could have done that even if I tried. We're not a fighting kingdom, y'know."

"Then we'll be glad to help out whenever we can," volunteered Mario. The king rose from his throne, and a hush fell over the room.

"Then, Sirs Mario and Luigi," he announced, as he had since knighted them, "I will need you to protect Daisy's castle in her absence. She is concerned there is a risk of burglaries going on in the area."

"We will, Your Majesty," accepted Mario.

"Excellent. You will find the orange pipe to Sarasaland behind the castle. Toad will escort you. Be on your way now."

"Right then, follow me to the back door!" Toad directed as Mario and Luigi did as they were instructed. This was the first time Mario and Luigi were in the castle since the invasion, and, on the day the king was restored, Toadstool gave them a tour of the castle. However, the plumbers were still not too familiar with the castle's layout, so they relied on Toad to guide them through the castle.

Moments later, they arrived at the back door. Two Toad guards opened the door for them, and they stepped through them and into the castle's courtyard. Another minute later, Toad stopped in front of a large field of pipes.

"Here we are - the pipe yard!" he proudly announced.

"it was the orange one, right?" Mario asked for confirmation, to which Toad nodded.

"I have a question about the pipe yard," Luigi said.

"Ask away!" invited Toad.

"With so many pipes here... how do you keep intruders out?"

Toad thought for a moment. "The pipes are monitored at all times, and can be blocked off if the king feels a threat is imminent. They were blocked off during the months the castle was not occupied."

Luigi nodded in understanding. "Gotcha."

"All right, Luigi, let's-a do this!"

"Yeah!"

Promptly the plumbers plunged themselves into the pipe that led to Sarasaland. Daisy's castle was a good seventy miles from Peach's but the trip seemed to only take just a few minutes, as travelling by warp pipe always has its advantages.

Before they knew it, the plumbers emerged from the pipe and looked around. Sarasaland was different than they had expected. The buildings seemed to have a vastly different texture than those of the Mushroom Kingdom.

"So this is Sarasaland," mused Mario.

"Mario, look!" Luigi pointed. "The castle is right there!"

Sure enough, Princess Daisy's castle was in plain view, just on the other side of the small town they were in.

"Convenient," said Mario as they started toward it. He scanned the town in front of and around them. "No threats," he said to himself. "It's almost too quiet..."

"Yeah, right?" agreed Luigi. Just then they saw what appeared to be a flying carpet soar above them.

"Mama mia!" exclaimed Mario. "That flying carpet... I thought they were limited to Subcon Land!"

"So how did it get here?" Luigi asked as the two plumbers broke into a run toward the castle.

"Well, If I remember correctly," recalled Mario, "several elements from Subcon Land made it here to the Mushroom Kingdom world. Koopa was able to get some Bob-ombs and Shy Guys from Wart. Additionally, Birdo, Mouser, and Triclyde also managed to escape from Subcon Land."

"But how could they have escaped Subcon Land," asked Luigi, while watching the figure on the flying carpet fly through an upper window of the castle. "It's a dream realm, right?"

"Gotta pick up the pace," mumbled Mario as he ran faster. "True, it's a dream realm," he answered Luigi, "but Bowser was able to take the Bob-ombs and Shy Guys out of Subcon Land through his subconsciousness. Also, I have a feeling that was not his first time there. That must have also been how Birdo, Triclyde, and Mouser escaped Subcon Land as well. Too bad Wart didn't make it out," he added sarcastically as they neared the front door.

"Mario, look!" Luigi pointed to another window. There was a vine leading from the window to the ground, and when Mario saw what kind of enemies were climbing it, he raised an eyebrow.

"Snifits?" Mario showed his surprise. "Koopa stopped using those months ago."

"Maybe he decided to bring them back?" speculated Luigi.

"Koopa also doesn't use flying carpets," Mario added as he pulled a key from his pocket and fitted it into the castle doors' lock. "This must be the work of a Subcon villain or otherwise a brand new threat."

As the door unlocked and Mario opened it, he was surprised that there were absolutely mo guards in sight. Where were they all? Surely they would open the door for the plumbers and let them in. Mario's question was answered in the form of several limp forms on the floor.

"Are they...?" Luigi couldn't finish his sentence while Mario bent down and felt one of the guards' pulses.

"Knockout gas," Mario confirmed as he caught a small whiff of the gas, though not enough to have any effect. "They'll be all right. Give them a few hours to wake up." He stood up, a new look of realization spreading through his features. "Koopa doesn't use knockout gas."

"You're right," Luigi realized. "This _does_ sound like then work of a new villain."

"It's still to early to tell," Mario said. "Come on, we need to stop whoever's behind this. Follow me!"

Luigi followed Mario to the stairs nearby. They only made it up a few steps before a figure in a white veil brushed past them on its way downstairs.

"There he is!" Luigi motioned to the figure that passed them. The white veil immediately reminded him of culture back on Earth.

"The burglar," Mario mused as they started the chase. "But why a veil?"

"Maybe the burglar is a female!" Luigi realized as they reached the bottom of the stairs. Throwing a glance behind him, he caught sight of four Snifits descending the stairs.

"Mario, should we stop them?" Luigi asked about the Snifits that were gaining on them.

"And lose the burglar," finished Mario. "Absolutely not. We need to keep our eyes on the prize."

They quickly entered a hallway with several doors. "Quick, in here!" instructed Mario as they entered the first door. The Snifits followed them. The plumbers emerged from another door with the Snifits hot on their tails.

As you might have guessed, a Marx Brothers styled chase ensued. Of course, it involved the bros chasing the Snifits, and they even ran into each other at one point. In the madness, they lost the veiled figure.

"We lost him," Luigi stated the obvious.

All four doors in the hall opened, and one Snifit emerged from each door. Luigi cowered back as the Snifits prepared to spit seeds at them. Mario was preparing to take care of them until the unexpected happened.

A few blasts of energy came from seemingly nowhere, immediately turning the Snifits into small flowers. The plumbers were startled, and turned to the source of the energy blast.

"Princess Daisy?!" both plumbers exclaimed once they saw the tomboyish girl in orange. She blew a wisp of smoke from off her parasol, from whence the energy blast came.

"None other," she replied casually.

"But... weren't you at... you know... Mushroom Castle?"

"That's what the burglars want you to think," Daisy explained. "You see, I knew there were a couple threats of burglary around here, and I couldn't reschedule my meeting with Princess Toadstool, so guess what?" She lowered her voice. "I sent a body double."

The plumbers' eyes widened. "Oh, that's ingenious," he exclaimed. He had a feeling he would really like Daisy.

"And it worked," Daisy continued. "Those burglars have no clue I'm still here. Follow me; I'll take you to my jewel vault!"

"Your jewels? Is that what the burglar's after?" questioned Luigi as they followed Daisy to the stairs that led to her basement.

"Most likely," Daisy said. "And it's not just jewels. In that vault is millions of coins' worth of possessions. In fact, some of my most valuable stuff I've ever owned is in there. Why wouldn't a burglar want to head there?"

"You seem awfully relaxed for someone who's going to be robbed..." thought Luigi.

"And why not?" Daisy didn't let up her cheerful demeanor. "They have no idea that wasn't the real me who's visiting Princess Toadstool. Okay, quiet now, we're almost at the vault. Already I can hear noises in the basement..."

They listened carefully, and they could hear the sound of a dial turning. Carefully entering the room, they saw the veiled figure turning the dial of Daisy's safe. Several Beezos stood guard around the room.

"When should we make our move? Now?" asked Luigi.

"The jewels of Sarasaland..." mused the burglar as he/she picked through Daisy's vault. "And to think they're all mine..." Mario immediately recognized the voice as belonging to-

"Birdo?" Mario whispered. "I don't think this is like her."

"Not at all," agreed Luigi. "Last we checked, she was a mercenary of Koopa."

"But she was only a mercenary. This means she could have easily left Koopa. Remember, we haven't seen her since the Hooded Robin was kidnapped," recalled Mario.

"Stop lollygagging and help me with these," Birdo addressed her Beezos who flew to her side.

"Now," nodded Mario to the others. They immediately stormed into the room toward Birdo, taking her and her minions completely by surprise.

"Wha-" Birdo started before Luigi removed the veil from her face. "Just as I thought," he stated.

Birdo was shocked, not at the sun arrival of her enemies, but at the presence of Daisy. "Wha- I thought - You should have-"

"You thought I decided to skedaddle from this here place knowing I'd get robbed?" Daisy stepped forward. "Very funny. Looks like you're in big trouble."

"Oh, really?" contradicted Birdo. "I think you're forgetting you're the ones who are outnumbered. Beezos, take care of them. You there, Pidgit, get my carpet ready for my departure."

"You're not going anywhere!" shouted Daisy to Birdo as the former picked up a Beezo and threw it at another. As Luigi assisted her, Mario stood face-to-face with Birdo.

"So you're the burglar," he stated. "Didn't take you as the jewel thief type."

"It's nice to have a little variety in your life," she responded as Mario stood between her and the safe. "Besides, Koopa's a bit dull for my liking. Besides, diamonds are a girl's best friend, and I wanted to try something different for a change. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a safe to rob."

"No, you really don't!" Daisy countered. Pointing her parasol at Birdo, she fired a small ray at her, but was dismayed when nothing happened. "Ohh, I forgot it doesn't work on non-minions!"

Birdo sighed in relief. Just then a magic carpet pulled up outside.

"There's my ride. Sorry I can't stay!" she called as she ran toward it. Having defeated the Beezos, the group pursued Birdo, but she made it to the window first, and leaped out and onto the carpet. She waved as it promptly flew away.

"She got away..." murmured Luigi.

"Don't worry, Luigi. There will be other opportunities to catch her, but the most important thing is that she didn't take anything." To Daisy, she said, "I don't think she's coming back again, at least not for today."

"Well, that's good," Daisy remarked. "Hey, can I come with you back to the Mushroom Kingdom? I want to see Princess Toadstool in person."

"I don't see why not. Only trouble is, how are we going to explain your body double?

* * *

"So you're saying that you sent a body double here to deceive burglars?" Princess Toadstool asked Daisy after she had arrived.

"Yup!" Daisy winked. "Ingenious of me, wasn't it? Sorry I couldn't tell you about my plan earlier, but I didn't want anyone overhearing me."

"That's okay," forgave Toadstool. "My father has sent some troops over to investigate this burglary spree in Sarasaland. In the meantime, would you mind introducing us to your body double?"

"Sure!" Daisy agreed. "This is Duchess Merina, my right-hand lady!"

"Hi," the duchess greeted shyly, shaking hands with Toadstool. Just then King Philip entered the room.

"Sirs Mario and Luigi," he spoke, bringing a hush to the room. "May I congratulate you for successfully defending Sarasaland's castle today. Even though the Sarasan armies are capable enough, Daisy was visiting, and I could not afford to leave her castle without a good guardian."

"There was one little thing," Luigi spoke.

"And what's that?" replied the king.

"Daisy didn't seem at all concerned that her castle was being broken into."

"Well, that's because I knew about her body double all along," the king spoke, laying a finger aside his nose. "She knew you were coming."

"Wow," was all Luigi could say.

"I saw something interesting on my way here," Merina spoke up.

"What is it?" asked a curious Mario.

"It appeared to be an ape of some sort, unlike any I had ever seen before."

 _What? An ape in the Mushroom Kingdom? Could it be...? Join us next time for Monkey Business!  
_

* * *

 **A/N:** Daisy being at the castle all along was a last-minute addition (I was going to have the actual Daisy in Duchess Merina's place). Also, I was going to have Koopa and the Doomship flying to Sarasaland, which would have been too OP, especially since Mario and Luigi were originally not going to use the pipe. Also, this story's working title was "Daisy of Sarasaland."

* * *

"Hey, paisanos," said Mario, "it's time for **Ask the Mario Characters** , where you, the readers, get to submit questions and dares to us, and we'll do the rest! Having not announced this last issue (my mistake), you can now send dares to us once again! Though, we will do only one per issue."

"What?" exclaimed Koopa. "But I wanted to show off my KoopaStar Hamburger eating skills! I can scarf down five in two minutes!"

"Oh, we got a dare from _plzbemyvalentinexoxo_ ( **A/N: not really** ), and it says: "Koopa: I dare you to scarf down five KoopaStar Cheeseburgers in two minutes!"

Koopa cleared his throat. "One: Those were my exact words. Two: It's _Ham_ burgers, not _Cheese_ burgers. Cheeseburgers are cheesy."

 _YEEEEAAAAHHH!_ came a sound effect from the speakers.

"Okay, so we'll go on to the _real_ Q&Ds. **breath20k** gives us this dare, and it's for His Majesty King Philip Toadstool!

"They're... daring me? I'm not so sure about this..."

"It'll be fun!... sort of," reassured Toadstool.

"Okay, the dare is to **have a special Super Roshambo match with Princess Toadstool and the referee is Luigi. To make it interesting, there will be a drum roll before the final word is given to flip the cards.** Thing is, we don't have any drums."

The sound of a drumroll played in the speakers. Mario nodded in approval.

"Right, okay, you two, ready?" Luigi asked. Of course, it was, can, and will go unexplained how everyone automatically has the knowledge of Roshambo installed into them. Yes, _installed_. They're _computer_ characters.

"Ready!" The king and princess agreed.

The cards magically appeared on the table. The royal competitors eyed the cards carefully.

"RO..."

Toadstool was ready to draw. Her father smiled confidently.

"SHAM..."

The drumroll started. Luigi watched the competitors, and, for a father and daughter match, they looked _competitive_.

Then...

The moment...

came...

too much...

suspense...

 **"BO!"**

Immediately king and princess flipped over the cards. A microphone appeared in Luigi's hands.

"And it looks like King Philip has 'rock' and Princess Toadstool has 'scissors'! King Philip wins!

Confetti appeared as everyone celebrated the king's victory.

"Great job, king!" Mario congratulated. "Now here's a question to you from **breath20k** : " **Why did you live in the Mushroom Kingdom?** ...Since the war and all."

"Well... I couldn't leave my home country. Let me rephrase that, I _wouldn't_. To flee was cowardice. To stay was suicide. So I chose to stay, but use a disguise. I also stayed so I could secretly be briefed on information that could help benefit our cause. Other than that, I lived a normal life."

"That's very fascinating," Luigi spoke.

"Isn't it though," agreed Toadstool. "I'm glad he's safe."

"Now we can rule the kingdom as father and daughter," King Philip spoke in his best Darth Vader impersonation, leaving everyone laughing as the camera panned out. Suddenly, this transmission was hacked by _dothemario .exe_ , which depicted Mario saying "Until next time, everybody, do the Mario!"


	30. SMB Issue 27 (Jan 1992)

**A/N:** ...Wow. I can't believe it's been over two months since I've updated this. I apologize for the long wait; I've had serious writer's block for some of the future issues, as well as serious laziness. Fortunately, I've overcome the writer's block for the most part, so chapters should come out faster. Sorry in advance if this chapter isn't as good as some of my others. Anyway, here's Issue 27!

 _ **breath20k**_

 _Good to have you back and this chapter is amazing! I love Daisy!_

 **Me too! She needs to appear in more mainstream games. At least she's now in Smash!**

 **animegamefanatic**

 _DK's Back baby. And maybe with Cranky and Diddy too. eh, One monkey at a time._

 **I do plan to have the other Kongs appear eventually. I'll even give them their own series if I come up with enough ideas. You can pitch in too if you want!**

 _ **Guest**_

 _I've been reading your Logical Mario story for a while, and I finally started to read this one. I'm enjoying it so far!_

 _Anyway, I'll go read the next chapter!_

 **Glad you like! Happy reading!**

* * *

 _I do not own anything in this fanfic except for any original content that I come up with. Mario belongs to Nintendo, which does not endorse or affiliate itself with this fanfic. Constructive criticism is allowed, but please, no flames._

And now, on to the comic!

* * *

 **Monkey Business**

* * *

"I saw an ape of some sort. It did not appear to be like any I had ever seen before."

Both of the Mario Brothers' eyes widened at what Duchess Merina just said, but Mario in particular was shocked.

"Donkey Kong..." he breathed.

"What did you say, Mario?" Toadstool asked.

"Donkey Kong," Mario repeated. "That's the name of an ape I know of back in the Real World. Question is, how did he manage to get here?"

"I think there are multiple ways back to the Real World within the giant pipe," speculated Luigi. "Perhaps he escaped and accidentally found one?"

"That's a thought," replied Mario, tapping his chin. "So far, the only two connections we've been through that lead back to the Real World are the drain pipe one we came here through, and the one in the sewer that we used to return here after defeating Mouser."*

"Wait, what do you mean by the 'Real World'? Isn't this world real enough?" a confused Daisy asked.

"Long story short, we're not really from here. We're plumbers from another world," Mario explained.

"Oooh, so you're aliens?" Daisy exclaimed. "I've always waned to meet an alien!"

 _Be careful what you wish for,_ thought Mario, though not out of malice.

"If Princess Daisy wills it, I can take both of you to the location I last saw this... Donkey Kong," Merina volunteered.

"I'll come too," added Daisy. "I also want to see Donkey Kong."

"Very well," Merina said.

"Please be careful," advised Princess Toadstool. "Even though we may have defeated Koopa for now, it's been a month since we saw him, and we don't know how or when he will return. And we know he _will_ return."

"We will, Princess," Mario said, but Daisy scoffed.

"Careful? Who are you kidding? I threw careful out the window years ago!"

Mario and Luigi didn't know what to say, but Toadstool gave a small smile.

"That's the Daisy I know," she said, and hugged her.

"We'll be back before you know it," promised the princess in orange.

The four waved goodbye and left the castle, on their way to see an ape from the Real World.

* * *

On their way over to Giant Land, the place Merina last saw the ape, Daisy turned to Mario. "So Mario, who is this Donkey Kong. Well, obviously, I know that he's an ape from the land you call the Real World, but anything else?"

"Well... He's actually caused trouble back in my home town of Brooklyn ever since he escaped from the circus, even going so far as to kidnap my girlfriend Pauline and climb a building that was under construction."

Daisy whistled in amazement. "He was a circus animal?" she asked.

Mario shifted uncomfortably. "He was."

"Then how did he escape?"

It took a little while for Mario to answer. "I... don't want to talk about it."

Daisy was a little surprised by Mario's offputtish response. "Okay. I understand," she said, but on the inside she was curious as to what could possibly cause Donkey Kong to escape from the circus. Could Mario have been involved somehow?

"We have arrived," announced Duchess Merina, "and the beast is still there."

The four of them stopped in their tracks when they saw the ape. Donkey Kong appeared confused as to where he was. Mario thought he might have accidentally discovered a warp zone. Which one, he didn't know.

Mario decided to approach Donkey Kong. "Remember me?" he asked as he stepped forward. More to himself, he mused, "Now, how did you find a warp zone to the Mushroom Kingdom...?"

But Donkey Kong didn't look at him. Instead, he was looking fearfully in another direction. "What's the matter?" Mario asked as he looked in the same direction. He saw nothing.

"What is it, Mario?" Luigi asked.

"I don't see anything," Mario reported. "Maybe it's just a false ala-"

Suddenly a pair of magic blasts came out of nowhere and struck Mario and Donkey Kong, causing both of them to vanish.

"Mario!" Luigi and Daisy cried out. Merina was too stunned to speak.

Luigi started forward. "Princess, get the duchess to safety. I'm going to see if I can find anything."

"There's nothing to see, Luigi," Daisy reminded him. "They just vanished."

"And I think I know who's responsible," Luigi stated, twirling his mustache.

* * *

One moment, Mario was standing next to Donkey Kong. The next, he was in a world of black. What happened?

When he opened his eyes, he found that he was in a fortress somewhere, and he was just finished being tied up by Roy and Iggy Koopa. So he was right. The Koopalings _did_ capture him.

But what intrigued him even more was the fact that he saw Donkey Kong in a cage nearby. The Koopalings wanting the Mario Bros captured and dealt with was one thing, but why did they want Donkey Kong? Was there some bizarre plot in mind?

"He's awake," he heard Iggy say.

Mario looked at the other Koopalings. "What is the meaning of this?" he asked.

"When we saw that ape, we recalled what King Dad told us about it," Larry explained.

"And when we heard you say 'circus', you know we couldn't resist!" Lemmy added.

"What's your plan?" Mario dared to ask.

Ludwig picked up an all-too-familiar helmet and carried it over to Mario. "Do you remember this little beauty?" he asked.

"I do," Mario said as calmly as he could. "That's the Lame Brainer, the helmet you used to make me turn against Luigi."**

"Correct!" praised Ludwig. "Not only will I make you turn against him again, but I'm going to get you your old job back!"

Mario was confused. "What do you mean?"

"Remember when you tended to Donkey Kong back in the realm you call the Real World?"

Mario was agape. "H... How do you know these things?"

"This helmet isn't just for mind control. It's also efficient in memory extraction!" explained Ludwig, a little too much glee in his voice.

"You.. you..." Mario felt himself losing his temper.

"Calm down, Mario," Ludwig waved his hand. "Now you will serve us-"

"And you're gonna like it!" interjected Wendy.

"Yes. You will."

Ludwig quickly slipped the Lame Brainer on and pressed a button. Spirals appeared in Mario's eyes before they changed to a hazy look. He was now brainwashed.

"Genius!" exclaimed Ludwig. "Now, Mario, it's time for Phase Two. Follow me."

 _"Yes, master,"_ Mario droned as he mindlessly followed Ludwig out of the Giant Land fortress. Roy, Morton, Iggy, and Larry picked up the cage with Donkey Kong inside and followed them. Wendy and Lemmy brought up the rear.

* * *

There was no sign of Mario anywhere.

Luigi, Daisy, and Merina had searched the area for ten minutes with no luck.

"That was a teleportation spell, no doubt..." mused Merina.

"This means Mario could be anywhere!" added Daisy.

Luigi grimly nodded. "No clues to be had anywhere, and no sign of the Koopalings anywhere." Just then he looked up to see a small ape wearing a white shirt in the distance.

"I see something!" Luigi announced, and made his way over to the ape. It appeared to be sad.

"What's the matter?" Luigi asked, before his eyebrows raised in realization. As Daisy and Merina made their way over, Luigi turned to them. "This must be Donkey Kong Jr., Donkey Kong's son! I remember Mario talking about him before!"

"Don't worry, big guy," Luigi reassured the ape. "We'll reunite you with your dad before you know it." Donkey Kong Jr. smiled a little.

"Hey, what's this over here?" called Daisy from not too far away. Luigi and Merina walked over, followed by Jr. Daisy was looking at a crudely-drawn billboard, but the words on it were clear:

"Koopaling Circus! One Day Only. Luigi, Daisy, and Merina get in free!"

Luigi sighed. "Yup. It's the Koopalings. They obviously did this with us in mind."

"I agree," agreed Daisy. "Any idea where this 'circus' is?"

"Over there," Merina pointed. Not too far away, there was a circus tent. Evidently, as it was erected by the Koopalings, it wasn't the best tent, yet it wasn't set up in just minutes.

"This really isn't adding up," Daisy noted. "I can see why they got Mario, but why Donkey Kong too?"

"I think I know why..." Luigi realized. Even though Daisy wanted to know what the Koopalings' motives were, she knew better than to ask at this time.

"You should go in there first," she proposed. "I'll provide backup in case things get too rough."

Luigi didn't move from his spot. "I-I can't go in there alone. Just one of them is a match for me, and as far as I know, we're dealing with all seven."

"You'll be fine, Luigi. Besides... you're Super Luigi, Mario's brother! You can handle anything! ...Right?"

"Y-Yeah. Thanks."

"We'll provide backup when necessary."

"We?"

Daisy motioned to Donkey Kong Jr. "The reason I think you should go first is because they won't expect Donkey Kong Jr. to come. I'll accompany him."

"Oh, okay," nodded Luigi.

With a gulp, he made his way toward the tent. At its entrance, Larry and Wendy stood behind a counter.

"You gotta pay admission," Larry demanded.

"What?" Luigi gasped. "But you said I could get in free!"

"You don't read the fine print, do you?" snickered Larry.

"No, we said free of _monetary_ charge. You still need to pay _material_ charge," amended Wendy. "So hand over a power-up!"

Luigi felt a little bold then. "You know, I don't have to listen to you," he sassed before darting into the tent.

"Get back here!" shouted Larry as he and Wendy climbed over the counter in pursuit of the green-clad plumber. Once Luigi entered the tent, the first thing he saw was a large cage with Donkey Kong inside it. The other five Koopalings were surrounding it. Mario, who was wearing a brainwashing helmet, was also holding a whip. Luigi instantly recognized the helmet as the Lame Brainer.

"What have you done to my brother?" shouted Luigi.

Ludwig turned to him, smiling wickedly. "Isn't it obvious?" he asked. "I'm having him relive his past!"

Luigi grit his teeth. How did they find out?

"Let Mario and Donkey Kong go right now!" he demanded.

"Uh, no, I don't think so," Iggy retorted.

"Mario, attack this meddler!" Roy shouted, pointing at Luigi.

"Crush! Destroy! Pulverize!" droned Mario as he started to bear down on Mario.

Mario attempted to swing his whip at Luigi, who narrowly dodged. "Gah! A little help here, Daisy!" he called outside.

"Oh, you didn't bring her in?" mocked Lemmy. "Too bad she's missing all the fun!"

"Or am I?" a voice came from the entrance of the tent. The Koopalings all stared at Daisy who was running in.

"Actually, the fun's just getting started! Say hello to my little friend!"

The Koopalings gaped the moment they saw Donkey Kong Jr. enter the room. They had no idea who he was. Daisy was right behind him.

"Hello, little friend," deadpanned Morton.

"Everyone, meet Donkey Kong's son!" Daisy exclaimed. Donkey Kong rushed to the bars of his cage as his son approached. The Koopalings were dumbfounded for a moment. Ludwig was the first to act.

"D-Don't just stand there! Let's take care of these meddlers!" he cried. Now sooner had he said that than Donkey Kong Jr. turned on him and pummelened him to the ground.

"But we don't have our wands! That means we're powerless and defenseless! What if they free Mario and the ape? Then we'll-"

"Shut up, Morton," snapped Wendy.

"But he's right!" realized Lemmy. "We left our wands back at the castle for a project!"

"Then we'll have to resort to brute force!" answered an overeager Roy.

"Oh, brother..." Wendy facepalmed. Iggy groaned his agreement. He didn't like physical fights either.

As Luigi distracted his brother by dodging the whip that kept flying in his direction, Daisy tried to reason with him.

"Don'y you recognize us? There's _got_ to be some way to resist your brainwashing!"

"He can't hear you," Luigi said. "I've dealt with this helmet before. It removes all free will unless it's removed."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Daisy asked as she dodged a punch from Roy and a body slam from Morton.

"It's not that simple," chastised Ludwig.

Luigi almost stopped in his confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I forgot to mention it's the Lame Brainer _2.0_. It's directly connected to his brain with neural sensors. Destroying or even removing the helmet will result in permanent brain damage."

Luigi turned on Ludwig, anger in his eyes. "Brain damage? In a K+ fanfiction? What kind of sicko are you?"

Ludwig rolled his eyes, only to be tackled by Donkey Kong Jr. His key was confiscated in seconds.

"Fourth wall breaks aside, seriously, this is a delicate situation," Luigi said, trying to study Mario's helmet while he swung his whip around. Fortunately, he was slowing.

"Maybe not so much," Daisy said as she pressed a button. Mario immediately stopped, the swirls in his eyes vanished, and he looked around blankly. At the same time, Donkey Kong Jr. fought off the other Koopalings while opening the door to his father's cage.

DK wasn't happy. Thumping his chest, he and his son stormed after the Koopalings.

"You know what King Dad says! Something about kooping and running!" Larry shouted as he ran.

"I'll tell you when we get back to Castle Koopa - _if_ we get back!" Wendy replied.

Daisy winked at Luigi, causing him to blush a little. "We make a great team, don't we?" she said.

Luigi nodded. "Y-Yeah. We do."

Mario looked around, seeing no one else around but Luigi and Daisy. "The Koopalings. They didn't have their wands with them, did they?"

"No," recalled Luigi.

"They said something about a 'secret project'?" Daisy added. "Sounds fishy."

"Oh, it is," replied Mario. "I intend to find out about it sooner than later."

* * *

Abandoning the tent, the three heroes headed out onto one of the hills of Giant Land, just in tome to see Donkey Kong and his son disappear on the other side of another hill. Mario was glad they were reunited. While he had known about Donkey Kong Jr. from the Real World, he was surprised that he too made it to the Mushroom Kingdom. He silently promised himself that, no matter the circumstances, he would never hurt Donkey Kong again.

 _Next time: Precious Cargo!_

 ***See Issues 7 and 8.  
**See the Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 episode "Oh, Brother!"**

* * *

 **A/N:** Apparently according to Google Trends, the hype for Dragon Ball Super: Broly is bigger than the hype for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. STRANGE, ISN'T IT?!

Anyway, it's been so long since I saw a Mario cartoon that I had nearly forgotten what the brainwashing helmet was really called. Good thing the Super Mario Wiki comes in handy. This chapter was planned before Duchess Merina was conceived as a character. Next chapter you'll get to see another new familiar face! Can anyone guess who it is?

* * *

"Hey, paisanos," said Mario, "it's time for **Ask the Mario Characters** , where you, the readers, get to submit questions and dares to us, and we'll do the rest! Today we've got more Q&Ds from **breath20k**!"

"What if we also did questions from **Bowser**?" Koopa asked.

"That would be like having **Peach** ask questions to the group," Toadstool said. "And we can't use those two name, at least not until the 1996 issues. Actually, that's for me. You're still Koopa for a while longer."

"Okay, I think that's enough of the **random bold stuff** ," Mario called out. "Anyway, to business. We have a dare for Roy Koopa!"

"Does it involve punching stuff?" he asked.

"No... but involves shooting things!"

The crowd oohed.

"Baskets, that is. **Shoot fifteen baskets in two minutes and thirty seconds... Blindfolded! King Phillip will be the referee. To make it interesting, have everyone count down from ten and the scoreboard will hear the buzzer when time is up!** "

A blindfold instantly appeared over Roy's eyes.

"Hey! I've got my shades! Don't they count?"

"Oh, the stupidity..." moaned Wendy.

"It's interesting how everyone immediately adapts to the roles breath20k gives them," noted McKoopa.

"That's because our author is lazy," Triclyde answered.

A basketball hoop and a container of basketballs appeared next to Roy. "Ready?" asked the king.

"Ready! Uh, king? If I win, can King Dad take over your kingdom?"

"No!" all the good guys shouted in unison.

"Uh... okay. But rest assured King Dad _will_ invade your land!"

"That's my boy!" cheered King Koopa.

"On the count of three, everyone!" King Philip announced.

"Three... two... one... GO!" everyone shouted.

Immediately Roy grabbed the first ball and started firing like crazy at the net with deadly accuracy.

"I didn't know he played basketball," Luigi whispered to Princess Toadstool.

"He doesn't," Toadstool said. "The other Koopalings say he's just good at throwing things."

By the time sixty seconds remained on the clock, Roy had already scored eleven baskets.

"You can do it, Roy!" cheered Larry.

By fifteen seconds, he had scored another three. Now it was time for the countdown. Everyone spoke simultaneously.

"Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven!..."

The final basket was scored, causing the buzzer to sound. Nevertheless, the countdown continued.

"...Three! Two! One!"

The buzzer sounded again, signifying the end of the match.

"Congratulations, Roy!" congratulated Koopa.

"Puh- _lease_ ," sneered Spore. "I could've done that in _half_ the time."

"Then do it," recommended Mario.

A blindfold appeared on him.

"No! Not now!" Spore complained.

The scoreboard set itself to 1:15.

"Score 15 baskets!" exclaimed the sentient scoreboard which is totally not Omochao in disguise. "And GO!"

"I hate you Omochao!" Spore raged as he shot balls at the basket.

"Don't we all," Koopa agreed.

Mario looked at his envelope again. "Oh, there's a question for Toadstool: **What is your favorite flower and why?** "

"Daisy. Actually no, it's roses. And carnations."

"Speaking of Daisy..." Mario said. "I forgot to mention last issue, but **you can now ask questions to Daisy, as well as Donkey Kong Jr.!** "

Just then the two of them burst into the room. "HI I'M DAISY!" Daisy exclaimed, causing everyone to instinctively cover their ears.

"You didn't need to do that..." Mouser complained.

"Anyway, that about wraps things up here," concluded Mario. "Join us next time for-"

Just then the buzzer sounded. Spore had only scored three baskets out of sheer luck.

"You get _nothing_! You _lose_!" the scoreboard imitated Willy Wonka.

"Ouch..." Daisy facepalmed.

"Anyways guys, see you next time," Mario wrapped this up before it could get any more crazy.


	31. SMB Issue 28 (Feb 1992)

**A/N:** Sorry if this took a while to get released, but I'm hooked on Sonics at the moment.

Also, this will be the last chapter for a little while. SMB:TNC is going back into hiatus so I can get back to work on the backlog, which I've been seriously slacking off on. I don't know when it's returning, but I can tell you that you can check my user page for updates, as well as PM me for progress and maybe ask some questions. I can tell you, future issues are going to be epic, maybe even akin to the pre-Super Genesis Archie Sonic issues. Nothing near as bad as Ken Penders or Karl Bollers, I can assure you.

Part of Triple Feature Night! March 9, 2019

Now on to the reviews!

* * *

 _ **breath20k**_

 _Nice chapter! Great to have you back and I love Daisy!_

 **I too love Daisy. She definitely needs more recognition in the Mario series.**

 _ **animegamefanatic**_

 _They're not aliens Daisy, they're just humans who happen to come from another world._

 _Mario probably has some unpleasant memories, he may have witnessed what the big guy was going through and freed him, but it had consequences...that's my guess at least._

 _those koopalings are definiately the children of Bowser who is the spawn of the devil!_

 **You might have heard somewhere that Mario mistreated Donkey Kong at the circus... That was adapted for this story. Also, last chapter was more or less an adaptation of the game Donkey Kong Jr.**

 _ **Guest**_

 _And I Finished! This was a very good story and I'm exited for the rest! my only question was, which donky kong was this? Because I heard someware that cranky kong was the original D.K._

 _Ya, I was very exited that Daisy mad it to smash! I was hoping that Waluigi would also make it, but at least one got in. As for who's showing up in the next chapter, I'm not entirely sure...I guess that Yoshi's going to show up soon, but I'm not sure which month that was. Also, my favorite chapters were the invasion arc!_

 _Anyway, I'll look forward to the next chapter!_

 **Which Donkey Kong? This is the original Donkey Kong, the one from the arcade games. Which means Donkey Kong Jr. has yet to become the Donkey Kong we all know and love.**

 **To think that they picked the Piranha Plant over Waluigi... Why...**

 **As for which character is appearing... Well, you'll have to read on and see...**

* * *

 _I do not own anything in this fanfic except for any original content that I come up with. Mario belongs to Nintendo, which does not endorse or affiliate itself with this fanfic. Constructive criticism is allowed, but please, no flames._

And now, on to the comic!

* * *

 **Precious Cargo**

* * *

Mario, Luigi, Toadstool, and Toad tore through a forest in inland Water Land, with Triclyde and McKoopa hot on their heels. It was evident that Mario was gaining ground, as McKoopa was clumsy, and Triclyde wasn't a very fast slitherer. But why was the Koopa Pack after Mario and friends? The answer was simple: the egg Mario was carrying. It appeared to be a unique egg, being white with large green spots coating its surface.

The group had found this egg while travelling through Grass Land. One of Koopa's spies had reported this back to Castle Koopa, and Koopa responded by sending the Koopa Pack after Mario and friends.

"Uh, Mario?" Luigi spoke. "I'm starting to run low on energy."

"I'll see if I can buy us some extra time," Mario stated as an idea formed in his head. "Here, Princess, take the egg. I'll just take this tree branch and..."

As he spoke, he grabbed the nearest low-hanging tree branch, drew it back, and let it go, whipping it into the Koopa Pack.

"I notice you're down a member," Mario said.

"Mouser will return. He's... busy at the moment," Triclyde responded.

"Yeah! But we're getting him back real soon!" added McKoopa.

"...Getting him back?" mused a confused Mario.

"No time for small chat, Mario," Toadstool reminded. "We need to go!"

"Right! This way!" Mario pointed ahead as the four heroes took off through the forest. Triclyde and McKoopa did not follow, as they were still dazed from the impact of the tree branch.

"Uh, Triclyde?" McKoopa broke the silence. "Aren't we gonna go after them?"

Triclyde stood up, his three heads staring after the plumbers and their friends. "We'll cut them off on the other side of the forest. They'll have nowhere to run."

"Perhaps I can help."

Triclyde and McKoopa turned to the source of the voice. It sounded familiar, a voice they had not heard since...

It couldn't be...

His voice was accompanied by a familiar warm aura, as well as the sound of crackling.

"...Fryguy?" Triclyde guessed.

"Yes, that's me," the fiery entity responded. "Come to drag me back to Koopa?"

"On the contrary," Triclyde stated. "We had no idea you were here. You were offering to help us catch Mario?"

"What are you after him for?" Fryguy asked.

"Well, he's got this rare egg with what I think could be an endangered species within," Triclyde explained.

"Oh? Which one?"

"Ever hear of the Dinosaur Island tribe?"

"Oh, you mean the Yoshis?" Fryguy looked momentarily surprised. "Koopa's father had them wiped out years ago. How did one of their eggs make it here?"

"That's what I intend to find out," said a determined Triclyde. "Let's get a move on."

* * *

Mario and his friends panted, having run about half a mile to get away from the Koopa Pack.

"So, Princess," Luigi began, "do you know anything about this egg?"

"Yes," Toadstool said. "It's the first Yoshi egg observed in the Mushroom Kingdom since the reign of Koopa's father."

"Koopa's father?" Mario was intrigued. "Who was he?"

But the princess did not get a chance to respond, for a cracking sound was heard coming from the egg.

"It's hatching," Toad whispered.

Everyone's attention was drawn to the egg as the cracks became larger. Soon a green dinosaur-like creature with a red saddle and shoes emerged from the egg.

"Yoshi yoshi!" it greeted. Mario and Luigi were surprised, but Toadstool had a different reaction. Here was a perfectly healthy Yoshi, the first seen in the Mushroom Kingdom in years. Mario sensed a strange feeling of familiarity, however.

"This is a moment we should savor forever," Princess Toadstool said. "According to my father's archives, it's been about twenty-three years."

Mario whistled. "Wow, that's a long time..."

Suddenly, and without warning, the Yoshi took off into the forest.

"Yoshi!" the princess called.

But the Yoshi did not turn back.

"What's gotten into it?" Toad asked.

"Perhaps the Yoshis are sensitive to danger," Mario pondered.

Just then they heard a few branches snap in the distance.

"The Koopa Pack must have already picked up the Yoshi's trail," realized Toad.

"Then we need to get him back and protect him at all costs," Mario announced.

The others nodded, and they took off into the forest after the Yoshi.

* * *

"So do you plan on coming back to us, Fryguy?" McKoopa asked.

The fiery entity thought for a moment. "I don't know," he replied. "Koopa really made me feel violated after the thing at Fryguy High went down."

"But he nearly conquered the kingdom not long ago!" McKoopa pressed. "And he's got a castle now!"

"Big deal," Fryguy shrugged. "He's been bragging about it for a long time."

"Think about it," Triclyde added. "He must have changed. Please, it's lonely without you adding warmth to our humble abode."

Fryguy was silent for a moment. "Maybe I'll rejoin..." he decided. "Just maybe..."

Just then they heard footsteps in another part of the forest near them.

"Is that..." Fryguy asked.

"That could be the Marios making their escape, but why deviate so near to our location?" pondered Triclyde.

McKoopa pointed ahead. "It's... it's not Mario!"

Triclyde and Fryguy followed the Koopa's gaze. Up ahead, they caught sight of a green dinosaur. It was using its long elastic tongue to eat fruits from off a tree.

"...So that's a Yoshi..." Triclyde thought.

"Do you know what this means?" McKoopa said

"What?" responded Fryguy.

"This is our chance to nab the Yoshi and bring it to Koopa!"

"McKoopa, it's too late for that now," countered Triclyde. "The deal was we would get the Yoshi when it was still in the egg. Now that it's hatched, it's going to be a lot harder to wrangle it."

"You know I can't go near it," Fryguy stated. "After all, I'm too hot to touch."

"Then how come you're not burning up the whole forest right now?" asked McKoopa.

Fryguy and Triclyde would have facepalmed if it weren't for their lack of hands.

"Okay, I have a strategy," Triclyde announced. "Fryguy, you will create a controlled fire ring with a ten-foot radius centered on the Yoshi. We will be inside the ring, and as soon as we grab the Yoshi, douse the flames."

Fryguy was confused. "I left you guys, and yet you can still command me?" He sighed. "Fine..."

Just then a mosquito buzzed near McKoopa. In his attempt to swat it away, he stepped backward and onto a fallen twig, snapping it. The Yoshi immediately dashed off into the woods.

"You bumbling fool, look what you've done!" hissed Triclyde.

"Don't blame a guy for trying to get these flying eyesores out of his face!" retorted McKoopa. "I'd rather bring all the mosquitoes in this forest to Koopa than one Yoshi!"

"No you wouldn't," Triclyde countered.

Fryguy signed contentedly. Being made of fire had its advantages.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Yoshi ended up backtracking in its fright and ran right into Mario.

"What's the matter?" Mario asked once he had recoveed from being startled by the Yoshi's sudden appearance.

But the Yoshi didn't have to answer, as they saw the Koopa Pack in the distance - and they were closing in. Simply put, they were not happy.

"Mario, it's too late to run. What do you suggest we do?" asked a frantic Luigi.

Mario quickly scanned the surrounding forest. "Actually it's not," he judged. "Princess, how fast do Yoshis run?"

The princess thought for a moment. "Pretty fast. What are you thinking?"

Mario smirked. "'Cause I'm going for a ride."

"Wait, what about us?" Toad called.

"Run the other way!" Mario called as he carefully saddled the Yoshi. "It's not you they want! If you're lucky, they're going to chase only me."

"Reckless, but okay," Toadstool replied as she, Luigi, and Toad took off running.

"Good luck, Mario!" cheered Luigi.

Mario pointed forward, a gesture that told the Yohsi to sprint. Apparently it didn't need to be told twice, as it immediately took off running away from the Koopa Pack. It appeared Mario was rapidly gaining ground.

However, it appeared Mario had forgotten all about Fryguy's speed.

The fiery entity flew ahead of him at three times the speed the Yoshi was running, catching Mario off guard. The Yoshi, however, did not stop running, much to Mario's relief.

"What's his game?" thought Mario.

His question was answered as quickly as he asked it, as Fryguy began touching various substances and igniting them upon contact. These fires were well-controlled, large enough to consume the objects like shrubs and small plants, but small enough to burn themselves out so the entire forest wouldn't go up in flames.

Fryguy's next move was to swoop down fifty feet in front of Mario and light his path on fire. Now Mario couldn't move forward on account of the wall of flame, so he was forced to stop.

"Well played," Mario admitted. "And long time no see, Fryguy."

"It's good to be back," Fryguy said. "But you won't be back anywhere, as this is the end of your road. Now calmly hand over the Yoshi, and you will be spared my lividity."

"Lividity?"

Fryguy sighed. " _Anger,_ " he corrected.

Throwing a quick glance behind him, he spotted the Koopa Pack. They were still a ways behind, but they were really closing in.

"You appear to be trapped," Fryguy noted. "Soon, you will get used to these feelings. Enjoy your last few moments of freedom."

"That's dark," Mario admitted.

Suddenly the Yoshi did something Mario did not expect.

It stretched its long elastic tongue out toward Fryguy, wrapping it around Fryguy and pulling him into his mouth... _whole_. Only his shades were left behind.

Next, the Yoshi turned around and spat Fryguy out at Triclyde and McKoopa, who were both closing. Yoshi had split Fryguy in two, and each part of him collided with the two other villains, causing them to fly backward. As Fryguy was no longer controlling the wall of flame in front of Mario, it died down.

Mario was left speechless after what had just happened. Moments later, Luigi, Princess Toadstool, and Toad came over and saw the split Fryguy and the Koopa Pack down. All three were equally amazed.

"What... what happened?" Toadstool asked.

"This wasn't me," Mario explained. "It was all Yoshi and his elastic tongue. He's the real superstar here."

"Imagine all the ways he can take down Koopa!" beamed Toad.

But Luigi was looking into the Yoshi's eyes. There seemed to be a sense of...

"I think he's lonely," noted Luigi.

Toadstool nodded. "He probably wants to be with others of his own species. It's difficult if even we don't know if he's the last of his kind or not."

"Well, how about this," proposed Mario. " _We_ can be his family."

"Yoshi?" the Yoshi perked up.

"So what do you think?" the princess asked the Yoshi. "Would you like to stay with us?"

"Yoshi yoshi!" the Yoshi excitedly agreed.

"I think we have deal," Mario smiled.

"I think so, too," nodded Toadstool. "Let's head back to the village. As for the Koopa Pack, they're not going anywhere for a while."

And so the four, now _five_ , heroes headed off back to the village.

* * *

Triclyde began to stir.

He had a massive headache - three of them - when half of Fryguy slammed into him, courtesy of the Yoshi. As McKoopa began to wake up as well, he secretly swore revenge on the Yoshi.

The two Koopa Pack members turned to Fryguy, who was still in two halves and smoldering. With great difficulty, he managed to put himself back together, locate his shades, and slip them back on.

"Ugh..." the fiery entity groaned. "I may be capable of basic form-changing, but I sure hate it."

"Really?" McKoopa was intrigued. "'Cause I thought your superpower was being too hot to touch."

"You have much to learn, grasshopper," Fryguy said under his breath.

"The egg, the Yoshi, they're no longer necessary," Triclyde decided. "The Yoshi is now an official enemy to the Koopa Kingdom. Besides, it was pretty low on King Koopa's priority list."

"So what do we do now?" McKoopa asked.

"Sit back and watch Koopa's next plan unfold," Triclyde smiled three wicked smiles of doom. "It's going to strike much closer to home than Mario would like..."

* * *

 **A/N:** Originally Mouser was going to be in this chapter, and Fryguy not. I have other plans for Mouser later on, though.

Also, originally, this slot was going to be written by Ozone1 (formerly AlphaWeasel), but he wasn't available.

With that being said, it's time for Q&Ds!

* * *

"Hey, paisanos," said Mario, "it's time for Ask the Mario Characters, where you, the readers, get to submit questions and dares to us, and we'll do the rest!"

"You know you've said something or other along zose lines since Issue 1, right?" Mouser pointed out.

"Well, yes," Mario answered. "Also, 1: it's Issue 3; and 2: Are you only given a line because you didn't appear this issue?"

"Uh-huh," the mouse in shades nodded.

"Okay, first dare is from **breath20k** to Daisy and Toadstool: **Have a burger eating contest for ninety seconds! Donkey Kong Jr. will be the referee and whoever has the most burgers when the buzzer sounds, wins. To make it interesting, both girls will have to choose a burger randomly and they have to do it... Blindfolded! Also, the buzzer will tell them when to start and have everyone count down from five to finish the game!** "

Suddenly a table full of different Burger Shroom burgers materialized in the room. Blindfolds appeared over Daisy's and Toadstool's eyes. The crows oohed over this. McKoopa tried to take a burger for himself, but Koopa swatted his hand away.

"Objection!" Luigi shouted, pointing like Phoenix Wright. "DK Jr. is supposed to be the ref, but he can't speak!"

"Then Koopa will translate," Mario decided.

"Are you kidding?!" the Koopa king roared. "I don't speak monkey gibberish!"

"You do now," Toadstool said, along with an accompanying magic harp sound effect.

"Ook ook!" Koopa told DK Jr., and every one else laughed. Yet the ape understood and signaled for the buzzer to sound, which it promptly did.

The two princesses randomly chose one burger each and began to eat.

The competition was heated, as well as the hot sauce in the burger Daisy chose.

"Mama mia, that's a spicy meatball!" she squealed, totally not referencing the old Alka-Seltzer commercial.

At last, it was time for the countdown.

"Five... four... three... two... one...!"

The buzzer sounded again, and it was revealed that the winner was *blocked for spoilers*.

"Hey, we want to know who won!" the crowd shouted.

And then...

The moment came.

"I won!" Peach admitted. Confetti appeared out of nowhere.

"Now that that's over, here's a question for Daisy: **Do you enjoy sports?** This one is self-explanat-"

"Don't answer for her!" chided Toad.

"Are you kidding?" Daisy exclaimed. "I love sports! I _live_ for sports! I. AM. SPORTS."

"...Yikes..." Mario said. "Also we have a question for me from **s3731997** , and it says: " **Do you think Donkey Kong and his son will cause problems for the Mushroom Kingdom? Like,say starting a fight with you two, with Princess Toadstool having to separate you.** Well, frankly, I don't see Donkey Kong as that big a threat. Sure, he may start a fight with me and Luigi, but I don't think he and his son will go that far."

Just then a Toad in a business suit entered. "Hey guys, just letting you guys know that we don't allow food in this venue."

"But sir, the burgers just magically appeared here and-"

"I'm not buying it," the Toad interrupted McKoopa.

"Anyway, guys," Mario said, "before we get arrested for breaking the rules here, just go ahead and do the Mario like no one's watching!"

#ActuallyLet'sNot


	32. SMB Issue 29 (Mar 1992)

**A/N:** ...It's been nearly half a year, has it.

Anyway, many apologies for keeping you waiting for this story for so long! I've been heavily occupied with Chaos on Earth, not to mention Mario started to be moved to the back burner in preference of Sonic. But I may consider putting Chaos on Earth on hiatus after Chapter 13 so I can expand its backlog, which means I can have more time for this story as well.

Anyway, here are the long-awaited review replies!

* * *

 _ **Guest**_

 _It was Yoshi! He's my favorite character! I wonder wear Mouser is, but it's interesting to see fryguy back. Is this a new born Yoshi, or is this the yoshi wh took care of them, or is this that yoshi that hatched at the end of yoshi's island DS? Also, even though we've never seen him, Koopa's father sounds like a really bad guy._

 _Anyway, I'll look forward to the next chapter!_

 **I too love Yoshi! He's literally the only player I'll play as in any Mario Kart game, especially Wii, 7, and 8.**

 **Mouser? You'll find out soon enough.**

 **It's been too long since Fryguy was around. You should be able to see more of him soon as well.**

 **This is a newborn Yoshi. Other Yoshis will appear soon, but not very soon.**

 **Koopa's father is a bad guy, but his son had the makings to be even worse. Koopa's father may eventually make some flashback appearances soon.**

 **Here it is, the next chapter, after six months! I hope you're still around to see this review!**

 _ **inkling boy10**_

 _Nice._

 **Thanks!**

 _ **animegamefanatic**_

 _YAY YOSHI! The sensation is definiately something Mario and Luigi should know, they were rescued by them. now its their turn to help the little guy and hopefully find more Yoshis._

 _I'm aware of the old Donkey Kong JR games, but I don't really view that being on the cannon timeline. If anything I view it being mario like their ancestors involved in a huge miunderstanding and someone else doing harsh things to DK (It saves me the trouble of avoid over thinking it, especially when there was a Yoshi game where the two were both babies. but that's just me _; ) But thought aside and back to the comic (kicks thought aside) I got a feeling Mario still regrets everything. one thing lead to another and things got out of control and obviously he regrets it. He's a good guy but made mistakes and is ready for whatever will happen. hopefully he can make peace with Dk and Jr, especially to avoid bigger consequences. (sorry about this part being so dang long and combing back to this.)_

 **They always did have a soft spot for Yoshis. As well they should; they helped to rescue Baby Luigi not once, not twice, but three times. Kamek needs a new hobby :P**

 **It's true, Mario may have been a little harsh back them, but that was before he became a carpenter and later a plumber. Also, where Mario is originally from is up for debate, but I like to think that he was born in the Mushroom Kingdom, then sent to Brookyn with his memories wiped by a villain who understood his true threat level. This will most likely be explored in the distant future.**

 **No worries; I like long reviews :)**

 _ **breath20k**_

 _I am so glad to see Yoshi himself in this chapter! Great job!_

 **Thanks! You'll definitely be seeing a lot more Yoshis soon.**

 **Also, congrats for reaching 150 chapters in Mushroom Kingdom Adventures! :D**

 _ **BOOM Fanfic-a-latta**_ _(Issue 6)_

Yay! TTYD reference!

 **I love making references in my stories! It really engages the fans.**

 _ **BOOM Fanfic-a-latta**_ _(Issue 23)_

 _Random theorizing over who took Mallet?_  
 _Yes. So much yes._

 **The Questions and Dares are definitely the kind of section I can get random on. I'm glad you like it!**

* * *

 **The Flatbush Invasion, Part 1**

* * *

King Koopa stared impassively out the window of his throne room at the landscape of Dark Land. It had been some time since he had personally overseen a decent attack on the Mushroom Kingdom.

...Who said his attack had to be on the land the pathetic plumber held so dear? Yet there was _another_ place that held a special place in his heart. And that was where he was going to strike next.

He heard the throne room door open behind him. Turning, he saw Triclyde slither in, followed closely by McKoopa. Mouser was absent, and Koopa was still curious as to where the brains of the Koopa Pack was. He had been missing for a month now.

"Everything is set up for the grand scheme, Your Koop-ness," Triclyde reported. He would have saluted if it weren't for his lack of hands.

Koopa nodded. "Yes, very well," he said. "I'll be along shortly. In the meantime, have there been _any_ clues whatsoever on the whereabouts of Mouser?"

McKoopa shook his head. "Nothing. We've had some of the troops search all over the area he was last in with no results."

"So you dispatched my army without my consent, okay," Koopa summed up. "Anyway, the plan. While I have gone about this method of attack before, I have never done it at the scale or location I have planned." Glee filled his voice. "Mario is going to be in for a big surprise. He'll never see it coming!"

"I can only imagine," Triclyde hissed, all three of his heads bearing a malicious grin.

"Oh, but you don't have to imagine to witness the greatest conquering in the history of the Koopa Kingdom," Koopa replied as he started to leave the room.

"Does that mean we get to come with you?" McKoopa begged. King Koopa shook his head.

"No, you two will hold down the fort," he replied. "Mallet's going to come with me instead; he's going to cover for me while I invade the place Mario cherishes most..."

His eyes gleamed dangerously.

"Brooklyn."

* * *

"Go, Mighty Plumber!" cheered Mario.

"Pipe Dream can't beat you this time!" rooted Luigi.

Princess Toadstool and Toad were visiting Mario and Luigi at their house to watch the latest episode of Mighty Plumber. Evidently Mario and Luigi were really into it.

"Good thing Pipe Dream isn't one of our real enemies," Toad said. "He's seriously no joke this time."

"And yet Mighty Plumber is three for three with him," the princess added.

Without warning the sunlight outside was blotted out as an unnatural shadow passed over the house, accompanied by the ominous sound of propellers.

"No..." Mario muttered. "Not again..."

In a flash, Mario was up and at the window. As the Doomship was flying away, he took on a confused look. It was quickly replaced by an expression of panic and realization.

"There's only one place in the direction he's headed..."

"The Real World pipe," guessed Toadstool. "Am I right?"

Mario slowly nodded.

"And if there's one place in the Real World he wants to invade the most, it would be Brooklyn."

He turned away from the window. "Koopa is clever; I'll give him that. He built his Doomship large enough to intimidate the kingdom, yet small enough to fit through the Real World pipe. Seeing as he's already been to the Real World a few times before, he'll be able to find Brooklyn before long. We need to hurry!"

"Hold up, bro," Luigi held up a hand. "Princess, do you think it would be a good idea if we consult the king about this first?"

"And leave Koopa to ravage Brooklyn in our absence?" she countered. "Actually... we should do both tasks at once. I'll inform the king while you go after Koopa."

"What about Toad?" Luigi asked.

"He'll go with you," Toadstool decided. "You know how much he doesn't want to miss out on your adventures." Toad nodded in agreement.

Mario nodded. "Then that's settled. Luigi, Toad, let's go. The safety of the Real World is at stake, and it won't save itself!"

As they ran in the direction Mario saw the Doomship heading in, Toad turned to Mario in curiosity.

"Mario, how did you come to call your world the 'Real World'?" he asked.

"Well..." Mario thought back. "When Luigi and I first got here, I thought that this place was only a fantasy world, and I ended up calling my world the Real World. The name ended up sticking. Now that we're pretty popular, everyone seems to be using it."

It only took the three heroes a few minutes to reach the pipe. Of course, the Doomship was nowhere in sight. What _was_ in sight was a blockade. Mallet was standing beneath the giant pipe with around a hundred of Koopa's underlings.

"Mama mia..." whistled Mario at the size of the blockade.

"Okay, change of plans," Luigi proposed. "You go ahead of us to the Real World. Toad and I will clear a path for you, and we'll join you after we unclog the pipe of this blockade."

"Good idea," agreed Mario.

The red-clad plumber ran head-on toward the Note Blocks which were within the blockade. Luigi and Toad followed suit, and the latter two took down several of the most prominent minions blocking the way to the Note Blocks. It wasn't easy, and it took a few minutes, but at last, Mario was scaling the bouncy blocks and entering the pipe.

Once inside, Mario quickly located the sub-pipe that led to Brooklyn. He emerged within the city and looked around. Good. The Doomship was nowhere in sight. That probably meant that King Koopa didn't know where to find Brooklyn from wherever he emerged.

For Mario's first move, he decided to warn two people he knew best here: Pauline and Salvador Drainado. To be honest, he wasn't exactly _friends_ with Salvador, but he was impressed that someone else found the secret to get to the Mushroom Kingdom and back.

So Mario decided to go to Pauline's house first. But on his way over, he ran into another old friend - someone he hadn't met in years.

"Hey, Jumpman! Is that really you?"

"Jimmy the Bugman! It's been ages!"

"Great to see you again, man," the lad said. "How have things been going in your mushroom world?"

"Pretty fine when King Koopa's not attacking."

"King Koopa?" Jimmy was puzzled. "Who's he?"

"A powerful enemy from my world," Mario summarized, somewhat amused that he called the Mushroom Kingdom "his world" despite Brooklyn being his place of origin. "Sorry I can't chat, but he's going to invade the city any minute. You need to take shelter immediately."

Jimmy stood there, jaw agape, for a moment.

"O-Okay. Thanks for telling me, Jumpman. Later!"

As the Bugman ran off, Mario sprinted toward Pauline's apartment. Fortunately, it wasn't too far away from where he was. He could get there in only two minutes.

He quickly located Pauline's apartment. It didn't take him long to ascend the stairs (the elevator was too slow for him) and find her room (he had visited her before). Mario urgently knocked on the door, hoping she would be home.

Sure enough, Mario's old flame opened the door.

"Mario? It's already been a few months; what are you doing back so soon?"

"I hate to break it to you, Pauline, and this may sound strange, but... my arch-nemesis is going to invade this city at any time in the next twenty minutes or so-"

"What?"

"Yes. You don't want to mess with King Koopa. I advise you to find somewhere to take shelter."

She stood there, stunned for a moment, almost a replica of Jimmy's reaction.

"Okay. Better safe than sorry, they always say," she replied before heading out of her room. Of course, she didn't forget her keys. "And what about you?" he asked.

"There's still people to warn and not much time. B'sides, _someone's_ gotta stop Koopa, right?"

Pauline didn't reply. Just who was this Koopa?

"See you later, hopefully today," he said before dashing away.

* * *

Salvador Drainado was sitting in his office on the top floor of the Plumbers Academy building, filing an extension on his taxes. He hated taxes as much as the next guy, but it was the only way to keep the business running. Besides, he was its owner, and it was his responsibility.

Suddenly, the window shattered inward, and Mario swung in with the aid of a plunger and rope. Salvador, taken completely by surprise, faltered for words.

"What's the meaning of this, you ask?" Mario asked the question of the hour. "King Koopa's coming to invade Brooklyn with his airship at any moment!"

However, Salvador looked more annoyed than concerned.

"Look, Mario, I've seen many strange things in the Mushroom Kingdom in the thirteen years I've been there, but absolutely nothing I going to convince me that King Koopa is going to use a flying ship to make an invasion right here and now."

"Oh yeah?" Mario pointed toward the window. "Then what's _that_?"

Sure enough, a gigantic wooden airship could be seen coming up over the horizon and approaching the city. It was a sight to behold. Once again, Salvador was at a loss for words. When he foud his voice again, he stood up and approached the window, being careful not to step on the broken glass.

"What. On Earth. Is that?"

 _Next time: The invasion commences!_

* * *

 **A/N:** So... We're back in Brooklyn for the first time since Issue 8! And now I've introduced Jimmy the Bugman from the old arcade game Donkey Kong 3!

Most of the delay time was because of procrastination to expand my backlog (it's as far as issue 46; 38 when detailed), as well as writer's block for the Mighty Plumber scene. So... sorry about that. Also, sorry if it got a little sloppy near the end; I had a long day.

Also, story ideas within reason are welcome!

It really looks like Brooklyn could be in for a world of hurt under Koopa. Will Mario be able to stop him? Can Luigi and Toad join him in time? Find out... next time!

* * *

"Hey, paisanos," said Mario, "it's time for-"

"Kek or Cringe with Anton Chigurh?" McKoopa piped in.

"That's cringe," Mario judged. "We're getting right into the Q&D, starting with this dare to Daisy from **breath20k** : **Shoot three free throws while blindfolded and she only has ten seconds to prepare herself. Once she is ready, have Mario count down '3, 2, 1... Shoot!' for the first, Luigi for the second, and everyone for the third and final shot. If she can make all three, then she'll receive a mystery burger!** "

"Wait, it's been a while since I played basketball," protested Daisy. "Can't I at least get a warm-up-"

Suddenly a blindfold appeared over her eyes.

"I guess not," shrugged Toad.

Just then a basketball appeared in her waiting hands, and a net materialized in front of her.

"I can't even see the net," Daisy observed. "How am I supposed to know where it is?"

"Use the Force..." Larry Koopa urged.

"...Nah, I prefer skills. It's what makes me a tomboy!"

"Okay, ready?" asked Mario. "3, 2, 1... Shoot!"

Daisy released the ball from her grasp toward the net, and it landed through the net, earning her cheers from her teammates."

"Oh, that was just plain old dumb luck!" refuted Koopa.

"I think not," Luigi fired back as the second ball appeared. "3, 2, 1... Shoot!"

As Daisy prepared to throw the ball, a Lakitu just so happened to be floating by, and would have helped the ball into the net if it weren't recalled by Koopa. The ball landed in the net anyway, earning her even more cheers.

Then the third ball appeared.

"3, 2, 1..."

And then...

The moment came...

Except there was a time paradox, so when it came could be at any point in history...

Except this time, I was just joking.

"Shoot!"

Just then there was freak gust of sudden wind, lifting the ball into the air high above the net.

"Okay, um..." Mario pondered. "So, while we wait for the ball to come down, we'll ask **breath20k** 's question:, which is for Koopa: **Have you ever been friendly to you minions?** "

"Only when I'm in a good mood or when I just don't care," he replied nonchalantly. "To the Koopalings, I'm always friendly for reasons that'll probably be explained in a future issue."

"Interesting insight," Mario noted. "Okay, three things before we go. **One: Our author would like breath20k to not send in dares that would normally appear in Mushroom Kingdom Adventures. He is starting to get tired of writing the same basketball and burger dares over and over. No offense; he would like some original dares.** "

Speaking of basketballs, the ball landed through the net, and the blindfold on Daisy's eyes vanished, and a mystery burger appeared in her hands.

"A mystery burger? Which flavor could it be?"

She took one bite, and then...

The inevitable happened.

"Wow, I can start to taste the soup in this burger, and then- Wow, those peppers have a nice kick, and-"

Most of the crowd facepalmed.

"It's Willie Wonka gumball-flavored," Pauline deducted.

"Minus the inflation," Toadstool added. "Our author does NOT have a fat fetish."

Just then a group of Koopa dressed as K-Pop Oompa-Loompas danced in the room.

"K-Pop?" Toad question. "Stardown, you just posted cringe. You are going to lose follower."

Mario continued. "Anyway, **Two: Congratulations to breath20k for reaching the 150-chapter milestone in Mushroom Kingdom Adventures! And Three: Apologies for not mentioning this earlier, but Donkey Kong Jr., Yoshi, and Salvador Drainado are now available for questions and dares!"**

Another freak gust of wind blew away the K-Pop Oompa-Loompas and the basketball net, as well as anything else cringey in this edition of Questions and Dares.

"Until next time, everybody," concluded Mario, "Do the Mario!"


End file.
